


Family

by littlesenhorita



Series: Stray Kids Cats adventures [12]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: A lot of them - Freeform, All of them are sweethearts, Anal Sex, Beach House, Beaches, Blow Jobs, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cat Hybrid Hwang Hyunjin, Cat Hybrid Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Cat Hybrid Lee Minho | Lee Know, Cat/Human Hybrids, Childhood Friends, Crying, Cute, Deep Conversations, Dom/sub Undertones, Domestic Fluff, Emotional, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Fox Hybrid Yang Jeongin | I.N, Fox/Human Hybrids, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hand Jobs, Happy Ending, Human Bang Chan, Human Changbin, Human Han Jisung, Human Kim Seungmin, Hybrids, Kinda, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Making Out In The Shower, Morning Cuddles, Morning Sex, Pets, Sex, Showers, Smut, Summer, Summer Vacation, Sunsets, Vacation, Walks On The Beach, all the kitties are good friends, alternative universe - Pets, and the owners too, but it's from happiness, chan is the owner, changbin is the owner, deep thoughts, ending of the series, felix in the cat, hyunjin is the cat, jeongin is the fox, jisung is the owner, minho is the cat, owners, seungmin is the owner, soft, there's a few sexy scenes as well ;), they all are good friends, too much softness, you can see that i love sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:21:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26602114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesenhorita/pseuds/littlesenhorita
Summary: What happened after the kidnapping?The group of friends go out together in a summer vacation, finally having some time to rest and have fun together!
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Hwang Hyunjin/Seo Changbin, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Series: Stray Kids Cats adventures [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638229
Comments: 8
Kudos: 98





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Hello loves! ♥
> 
> I'm back after quite some time.
> 
> I'm actually writing this final piece for a few months now [you can notice by the number of words haha] and I finished revising today, so I wanted to publish it for you guys as soon as possible.
> 
> As you can see, this is the end of the Stray Kids Cats adventures (plus, a little cute fox!). I felt that this series needed a nice and happy ending, wrapping up the main story nicely. I plan to publish spin-off's from time to time, but the main story is going to end with this one right here.
> 
> I hope you liked the series and I want to thank you all in advance for all the love and support that you showed to this series, I'm really thankful. At the notes by the end I'll talk more about what comes next, so make sure to check it! 
> 
> So, that's all! I hope y'all enjoy this last part of the series and have fun!

Chris wakes up with the smell of something being cooked in the kitchen. He feels tired, mostly because he worked on a few tracks last night, until past midnight. He needed to finish those tracks as fast as possible if he wanted to spend an entire week travelling with his friends.

Jisung and Changbin probably did the same. They were trying to produce as much as they could and the producer trio was spending a lot of time with their eyes tinted red and open, injected with caffeine or energetics drinks.

Their kittens needed to take care of their owner as best as possible, but it was difficult since the company was being harsh on them during the past two months. Well, Chris couldn’t blame them. They spent a lot of time out of the studio because of the issue with Hyunjin’s kidnap and none of the producers were mentally stable to produce anything, either.

Six months had passed after the kidnapping that had shaken the group of friends. Changbin had to spend four of those months practically out of the studio to take good care of Hyunjin and soon the company started to pressure them. It wasn’t like they couldn’t deal with the pressure because all three of them were always producing something outside work, always writing lyrics and recording things by their own at home, so all that they did was put their independent work together and try to produce new songs with what they already had, during the last two months. But still, it was difficult. They needed to adjust everything to the deadline that their bosses gave them and that was the most tiring thing to do.

Chris feels like his brain was drained and his eyes are still heavy while trying to get off of the bed. He takes a deep breath, listening to the soft noises that come from the kitchen.

Felix has been trying to make things for him. After Hyunjin’s situation got better, Felix became brighter and the kitten slowly returned to his normal self. He did his best to help Chris with maintaining the house, cooking nice dishes for Chris and helping him relax when it was necessary since Chris was working a lot harder than usual. He helped with taking Hyunjin to the hospital as well when Changbin wasn’t able because of work, taking care of his friend, alongside Minho, who always went together with them to the physiotherapy sessions and appointments with doctors.

Chris makes a lot of effort to walk from his bedroom to the kitchen, letting tired yawls escape his mouth while he tries to open his eyes and not stumble on anything in the way to the kitchen. When he arrives at the room, he’s rewarded with the most beautiful vision in the entire world: Felix is wearing one of Chris’ oversized t-shirts, happily singing to some melody while cutting a freshly baked bread. The t-shirt is the only thing that the kitten is wearing, Chris is sure of that because he can see that cute round ass of Felix when his tail moves behind him, slightly lifting the fabric while the kitten hums the happy melody and cuts the bread that is above the kitchen table.

This is the best view that Chris can have by the morning. He feels his heart inflating with love and adoration, as well as happiness. He loves Felix so much… Chris can’t help but enter the kitchen and walk straight to Felix, hugging his kitten from behind.

During the last few months, Felix had to spend many lonely nights waiting for Chris to get home, enduring all the ups and downs of Chris' stressed mood, and taking care of the apartment… But he never complained. Felix never argued with Chris or demanded anything from him, always comprehensive and loving in every situation. Chris couldn’t be grateful to him or happier for having such a gentle and caring partner in his life.

“Oh! Good morning Chris!” Felix says, sounding a little surprised. Chris doesn’t answer, he just buries his face by the kitten’s neck, leaving tender kisses at the skin, while listening to Felix’s sweet laugh.

“Chris, it tickles!” Felix says and Chris smiles above the skin of the kitten’s nape, hugging him close to his half-naked body.

“I love you so much…” Chris says, letting his hands travel to the end of the t-shirt that Felix is wearing, fingers sneaking inside the piece of clothing to touch the soft and warm skin beneath it.

“Chris, don’t…” Felix tries to say but Chris can feel the shiver running through the kitten’s petite body. Felix instinctively bends a little over the table, a soft meow leaving his cute lips while Chris reaches for his ass and squeezes the round flesh, one of his fingers naughty reaching for that sweet spot that is always so warm around him...

“We can be quick…” Chris says and for a moment he’s sure that Felix will completely bend over the table and ask to be fucked right there, but suddenly the kitten shakes his tail and wraps it around Chris’ biceps, forcing him to take his hand from his ass and take a step back.

“No! We can’t, we’ll be late, Chris! And I need to finish the sandwiches!” Felix says, turning to face Chris that has a pout in his lips. The kitten stares at Chris for a few seconds and Chris feels ready to take his pyjama pants off, but Felix shakes his head and closes his eyes, “Stop! Stop with the pout!”

“Felix, baby, we can…” Chris tries to hug him again, taking a step close to his kitten but Felix moves fast and suddenly he’s at the other side of the kitchen, close to the oven.

“No! Breakfast! Chris, stop!” An angry spoon shakes in the air against Chris.

Sometimes Chris forgets that Felix is a cat hybrid that can move faster than him. Felix himself has a cute pout now, eyebrows angrily furrowed and Chris just laughs, lifting his hands in a defeated gesture.

“Okay, love, okay… I’ll stop”

And Felix smiles.

“That’s good! Now, we have to eat breakfast! I’ll finish making the sandwiches and we can change to go straight to Changbin’s house. I talked with Minho, they’ll be ready in one hour so we can leave earlier to the train station!”

***

“Min, love! Have you seen my laptop? I can’t find it!” Jisung screams from the bedroom.

Minho smiles while holding the said laptop in his hands, placing it inside Jisung’s backpack.

“It’s inside your bag, Ji! I just packed it!” Minho screams back and suddenly a nervous Jisung appears at the living room, blue hair all messed up and rosy cheeks.

“Oh my God, thank you!” Jisung says, throwing himself at Minho. The kitten hugs Jisung and leaves a tender kiss at the top of Jisung’s head.

“Calm down, love. I said that I’d take care of your belongings too” Minho says, enjoying the hug and the way Jisung clings to him, burying his face at the kitten’s shoulders. They stay in silence for a few seconds and Jisung softly says, his voice muffled by Minho’s skin.

“I love you, Min”

Minho smiles and just kisses the crown of Jisung’s head again.

Jisung is really tired, he’s been working too much. The company demanded a lot of things from the producers and Jisung, as well as Changbin and Chris worked for too many hours during the last couple of months, they didn’t even sleep well. Minho was worried, so he tried to ease Jisung’s rough routine with cuddles, a lot of nice food, taking care of the apartment and pleasing Jisung when he was too stressed. But after weeks of too much work, things were reaching a point that nothing that Minho did was actually helping… until one day, Jisung came back home really talkative, stumbling at his own words.

_“ ‘They said that we can rest after everything and we’ll take the kittens with us, and-’_

_‘Ji, please, slowly. I can’t understand anything.’ Minho said and Jisung looked at him with round eyes, shining at the dim light of the living room._

_‘Do you remember that I told you that we would have a meeting this morning? With our bosses? At the company?’_

_‘Yes, Ji. I remember’_

_‘So, they were pleased with all the new songs that we delivered to them and they agreed to give us like, fifteen days of rest and… We just need to deliver a few more songs to this new artist that they’re closing a new contract with, meet him and after… we can rest after that… Min! We can rest!’_

_‘Oh, that’s good news, Ji!’_

_Minho could feel relieved. Jisung would finally rest and have some well-deserved sleep. He needed that. Jisung’s eyes were shining with happiness while he jumped at Minho on the couch._

_‘Also, after the meeting, Changbin had an idea and suggested travelling to the beach, all of us, together! At least a few days, since it’s summer. We can distract ourselves and you and the other hybrids could spend some quality time together, as well. It has been a long time since y’all don’t meet outside the hospital, Min! What do you think?’_

_It was true. Their owners were all too focused on their work and Jinnie was in treatment because of the injury in his back. Minho and Felix helped take Hyunjin to some sessions and appointments, but none of them could meet each other outside of the hospital, nor see Jeongin as well. Minho was truly missing his friends._

_‘I think it would be lovely, Ji!’ ”_

And since that day, the producer team worked even harder than before. All the hybrids agreed with the trip as well so the producers did their best to deliver good songs for the new artist. They were able to finish everything and now, they’ll have their well-deserved rest.

“They’ll be here in one hour, Ji, we need to have our breakfast and change clothes,” Minho says, caressing Jisung’s hair.

Jisung sighs and lifts his head, looking at Minho with the same big round eyes from that same night.

“I hope we can have a good time there,” he says and leaves a quick kiss at Minho’s lips right after.

“We will, Ji, I know. Now, to the kitchen! I made us some pancakes”

***

Hyunjin feels hot. Really hot.

The sound is strange in his ears but at the same time it’s good and he feels a pleasant tingling sensation that travels his entire body, from the tip of his feet toes to the knot inside his stomach that’s getting too tight, too…

“Binnie…” He moaned while letting out a strangled meow.

Changbin hums and Hyunjin arches his back, everything suddenly vibrates and he can feel his backbone shaking as well and then…It takes just one strong suck at the tip and Hyunjin cums, spilling inside Changbin’s hot mouth and everything is warm and fuzzy, too loud and strong, so strong that makes Hyunjin’s legs shake while he shut his eyes and presses the back of his head at the pillows underneath.

He probably screamed he thinks, because Changbin is suddenly above him, laughing, saying something like “too loud, Jinnie, oh my- the neighbours!”

The kitten needs some minutes to recover himself. Everything feels too good and a wave of comfortable happiness fills up his body, the kitten curling up inside Changbin’s arms, meowing with contentment.

“Good?” Changbin asks after a few moments hugging Hyunjin in silence while playing with his cat ears. His voice is a little hoarse, It always gets like that when they do this kind of thing.

“You’re the best,” Hyunjin says with a smile on his face while vigorously nodding and Changbin just laughs.

They’ve been doing this for a little while now. It started with heated kisses and experimental touches until one day, Changbin asked if Hyunjin wanted to do more than kissing and touching. The kitten knew nothing about it, he had an idea how everything worked, but… Changbin knew more. So much more. He’s been teaching Hyunjin so many things and everything is so pleasurable, so good… Hyunjin just wanted them to go further than kisses, sucking and touching.

For some reason, Changbin didn’t go all the way yet. Hyunjin doesn’t know why and sometimes he asks Changbin the reason for not having sex but Changbin just avoids the subject.

“Next time we could do more…” Hyunjin says while burying his nose at Changbin’s chest. Changbin stays quiet, his hands gently caressing Hyunjin’s back, his fingers travelling up and down through the skin and touching Hyunjin’s scar for a little longer.

It’s a medium line, right at the place where the doctors did the surgery at his back, close to his small back. Sometimes, when it’s too cold, Hyunjin feels a little pain in that place, but he doesn’t mind it at all because the pain reminds him of his current reality: this warm happiness and love that he constantly feels. 

Since Changbin doesn’t answer, the kitten decides to take action. He gets out of Changbin’s arms and climbs him, sitting at his thighs and letting out a playful meow while looking at Changbin’s eyes.

“You have to answer me, otherwise I won’t let you get out of bed!” Hyunjin says, his tail wiggling in the air behind him. Changbin just smiles and reaches for it, caressing the grey fur with one of his hands.

“Really? So you’ll have to explain to our friends why we didn’t go to the beach with them”

Hyunjin loves that. He loves the way Changbin smiles, that little devilish smile that he has in his face every time they do naughty things. It's something new that Hyunjin didn’t know about Changbin and discovering new things about his owner is always so pleasurable...

“I’ll put the blame on you!” Hyunjin says while jumping at Changbin and laughing. He lays over him and starts to shower Changbin with kisses and touches and suddenly they’re melting at each other again, biting and licking, Hyunjin grinding at Changbin’s hips, all over again.

Hyunjin’s Heat should've struck already, but it didn’t happen. The doctor specialist on hybrids’ health said that it was probably because of all the emotional stress and everything that Hyunjin had to endure since he went through a lot of stress and trauma. The fact that he was drugged for so long with such a strong drug probably messed up with his hormones as well, doing something to his system. They’re trying to discover it now. Hyunjin did some exams a few days ago and the results didn’t come out yet.

The truth is that Hyunjin didn’t understand that situation. He feels good and happy again, he _really_ loves Changbin… his Heat should’ve strike… this was starting to make the kitten feel sad. He wanted his Heat to strike soon, he wanted to feel overwhelmed by Changbin and his love. Hyunjin was feeling impatient and although the doctor said that it wasn’t good for him to feel like that, the kitten couldn’t avoid those feelings to reach his heart.

However, right now, Hyunjin can only feel Changbin’s lips against his, slowly travelling to his cheeks and jawline, making its way to his neck. A soft moan echoes at the room, Hyunjin feeling arousal building up inside him all over again while Changbin’s fingers sink at the kitten’s thighs that evolve his waist… Hyunjin wants more. He needs more.

Changbin moves at the bed, pushing Hyunjin against the sheets one more time, kissing and grinding against him, soft deep moans escaping his lips while he bites at Hyunjin’s collarbones when suddenly, a phone rings.

“Jinnie… Ji-” Changbin says while pulling away from him, but Hyunjin wraps his legs around him and closes the distance between them again, kissing Changbin and ignoring the insistent ring from his phone. He feels like he’s melting underneath Changbin, the kitten too aroused to think about some phone call… 

But that freaking phone doesn’t stop ringing.

“Jinnie…” Changbin says again trying to avoid one more kiss from his kitten and suddenly all the happiness that Hyunjin was feeling slips through the melody of that freaking ringtone. He snorts and let go of Changbin, who gets out of the bed to pick the phone for Hyunjin.

“Hello,” he says, trying to sound as normal as possible but Hyunjin can’t help but sound annoyed.

 _“Jinnie! Stop making out with Changbin and let’s go!”_ Felix sounds too excited from the other side of the phone call.

“Can you come back in like, two hours?” he says and Changbin complains beside him, mumbling something about responsibilities and appointments.

 _“Hyunjin!”_ Felix says and Hyunjin can tell that the kitten is getting impatient. 

“Tell them to give us five minutes,” Changbin says, getting out of the bed and running to the bathroom. Hyunjin rolls his eyes and just replicates what Changbin just said.

Felix hangs up and Hyunjin groans, letting his frustration take over. He just wanted to have sex. Just that. Why was it so difficult?

***

“They’re late”

“They’re just five minutes late, calm down Jeongin!” Seungmin says.

“But if something happened to them?” Jeongin can’t help but feel anxious all over again.

“Jeongin, it’s Friday, the traffic is probably bad because of morning rush time. This is normal, don’t worry”.

Jeongin looks at Seungmin who is calmly sitting by one of the seats at the train station, looking at something in his smartphone. Seungmin is always so calm and collected, he could never understand the worries that were filling up Jeongin’s mind.

They could miss the train. Something could have happened to their taxi. What if Jinnie wasn’t feeling good and had to go to the hospital? Or worse, what if those men...

“Innie, please. Stop with the thoughts. It’s just five minutes, calm down.”

Jeongin feels gentle arms around his shoulders and instantly closes his eyes. It’s difficult. The thoughts always come like a storm in his mind and he can’t stop them… every time he tries to do that, he feels like he’s trying to stop a river from running… it’s useless, the water still slips through his fingers. His breathing becomes faster and faster with each second, and doesn’t matter how hard Jeongin tries he already can feel his stomach doing somersaults inside his body.

“Jeongin, look at me” Seungmin calls from behind and Jeongin tries his best to turn around and face his owner. Seungmin hugs him again, patting his head with a soft hand while the other draws gentle circles at his back. “Focus on me, at the movement of my hand. Don’t let those thoughts cloud your mind, Innie. I’m here”.

They stay in silence for a few minutes while Jeongin tries to do what Seungmin said to him, focusing on the gentle hand that travels through his back, up and down, drawing circles and the warmth that comes with the gesture, the way Seungmin breathes with a calm and steady pace, the rhythm of his heart that beats against his ears, Seungmin’s gentle voice that whispers kind words to him… Suddenly all that Jeongin can think is Seungmin and everything is too hot, so he lets go of his owner and tries to ignore those strange feelings that make his insides burn.

_Owner. He’s my owner. And a friend. Just that._

Seungmin looks at him, reaching for his hand.

“Feeling better?” He asks, a tiny smile on his face.

Jeongin nods in silence while looking at the ground, avoiding falling deep into Seungmin’s dark eyes. He knows that he is not allowed to feel these strange things towards Seungmin, that it may be wrong… Seungmin is always so caring and such a good friend to Jeongin, he would be disappointed if he knew what Jeongin was thinking.

“Y-yeah… kinda,” Jeongin says, squeezing Sengmin’s hand.

“Good,” Seungmin pulls Jeongin into another tight hug. The fox just closes his eyes and buries his face at Seungmin’s shoulders, letting himself enjoy the feeling of comfort and safety that he feels with his long-time friend, something that he always felt since the first time that they saw each other, many years ago.

Jeongin still remembers that day, very clearly. He was trying to run away from the adopting centre by jumping out of the window at the back of the building. It wasn’t too high and Jeongin always had a strong physique, so it was easy for him to jump from the window at the second-floor. That’s when Seungmin saw him. He thought Jeongin was in danger and rushed to stop the fox from jumping, trying to catch him in the air and ended up with one broken arm.

After that unfortunate event, the family brought Seungmin to visit Jeongin at the adoption centre quite frequently until one day, they decided to adopt the little fox. Jeongin became really good friends with Seungmin and his adoptive parents were really good to him, always caring and loving towards him. Jeongin could say that he was happy with the family and that things couldn’t be better than that, but when Tae-Tae arrived, everything changed… his family became brighter.

Jeongin used to live with his adopting family in the countryside until two years ago when Seungmin started college. It was a big change in the family, their older son moving away to study in the big city, so Jeongin was asked if he could go with Seungmin, to not let him live alone. Jeongin was used to his tranquil life with his adoptive parents and the cute Tae-Tae, but Seungmin was special to him.

It was hard to let go of them, to not help his adoptive father fix the things in the house anymore, or listen to him talking about his work at the port, not help his adoptive mom with the garden and the flowers, not keeping her company at the floriculture, or taking care of the little Tae and play with him… He loved his family, but Seungmin was special, Jeongin wanted to go with him. He didn't understand why yet, but he always felt like it, so he just followed his instincts.

They have been living together, just the two of them, for quite some time now and Jeongin loved each day that he spent alone with his owner. Seungmin was always so calm and nice, always studying and taking care of him. Sometimes Seungmin got too energetic and really funny, making Jeongin laugh so much from his jokes and pranks. Their routine was really nice and happy, until… until the kidnapping.

The fox is well aware that after what happened, he changed a lot. He’s been apprehensive and anxious about little things, always worrying and talking too much, more than he used to. He’s always scared of little things and having nightmares… His eating habits changed too, Jeongin can’t eat too much now and is always feeling nauseous when he eats something too different. He can’t sleep alone as well, always going to Seungmin’s bedroom when he gets too scared of the darkness inside his own room. But all of this didn’t change the way Seungmin treats him, he is nothing more than comprehensive and gentle towards Jeongin and even when Seungmin is busy with his University obligations, he still manages to spend time with Jeongin.

“Look, Jeongin, it’s them!” Seungmin’s voice takes the little fox out of his thoughts and he turns to see his friends smiling and waving at him. Jeongin doesn’t think, he just runs. He bumps at an unknown man in the middle of the way but Jeongin doesn’t look back to apologize. He jumps on Hyunjin and hugs him tightly, laughing.

Hyunjin welcomes him with a warm hug and Jeongin loves that feeling, he likes the happiness that comes with the gesture. Soon Felix is hugging him too and Minho is messing with his hair, talking about how much he missed the little fox.

Seungmin stays behind Jeongin, just watching them with a big smile while everyone greets Jeongin with hugs and happy jokes. Seungmin stays in his place, waving at them while still smiling, but he doesn’t approach the group. It’s Jisung, Chris and Changbin that take one step closer to him while the hybrids talk to the fox. Jeongin’s owner is still shy to approach them all by himself, and this was one of the main reasons why Jeongin insisted on travelling with all of them to the beach, so they could bond with him, to become more intimate and friendly.

“So, we just wait, now?” Hyunjin asks and Jeongin just nods. 

They walk back to the row of seats where Seungmin and Jeongin were waiting for them and settle themselves. All of his friends have huge bags and a few backpacks, and they place their belongings close to the seats now occupied by Seungmin, Chris, Jisung and Changbin. The hybrids just talk with each other while the owners do the same, and Jeongin can see Seungmin holding a quiet conversation with the others while smiling. Jeongin can’t hide the smile that widens his lips and just keeps listening to the kittens talking while checking on Seungmin from time to time.

Jeongin still doesn’t quite understand what is happening to him and his feelings, but he just can’t avoid enjoying the happiness and warmth that Seungmin gives him. Jeongin always felt that way towards Seungmin, but the feeling got stronger since the kidnapping, which is something new and a little scary, but his instincts say to him that it’s okay to feel that way, that everything will be alright, that Seungmin will never let go of him.

Soon, the train arrives and they settle themselves in their seats, on their way to the beach.

***

When Jeongin disappeared, Seungmin didn’t know how to react.

The fox was walking beside him at the street, excitedly talking about the movie that they saw together the other night when suddenly, he wasn’t there anymore. Seungmin stopped for just a second to take a look at a display of a bookstore when he heard the sudden harsh braking of a van behind him and when he turned to see what had happened, Jeongin was gone.

His family came from the countryside and met him at the police station, his little brother crying all the time. Seungmin felt numb, he couldn’t understand what happened until the police explained to them... That was when his horrible days started.

Seungmin couldn’t sleep, eat properly or focus on his classes. He gave up on finding a part-time job as well. He started to feel anxious and more anxious as days went by without a single word about where Jeongin was.

Jeongin has been his friend since forever. Seungmin couldn’t remember much how his life was before meeting the little fox, only that it was a bit sad. Happiness came when he broke his arm trying to catch Jeongin in the air, who jumped out of a window many years ago. It was almost like life was grey before Jeongin without any colors or fun and when the fox arrived, everything became colorful and noisy, full of brightness. Seungmin was only a year older than Jeongin, but it never was a big deal for them, they always got along pretty well, being good friends. So, when suddenly Jeongin was taken from him, Seungmin felt lost. Empty. Alone.

Lately, it has been difficult for Seungmin to forget that day. He has seen how much it has changed Jeongin and how deeply it hurt the fox… He wanted to go back in time and change that day. He would stay inside the apartment with Jeongin, never getting out to do whatever they planned for that morning.

Every time he wakes up in the middle of the night with the sound of Jeongin’s soft cries, he regrets every second of that day. It hurts seeing Jeongin so anxious and not able to eat properly, to see him spacing out with big round eyes while shaking so much... Seungmin wishes he could change everything that happened.

“Hey, want to eat something?” A low and soft voice pulls Seungmin out of his thoughts. He looks to his right, taking his eyes out of the landscape that runs out of the window, meeting a smiling Changbin holding a sandwich in front of him.

“Yeah, thanks”

“Felix made this. His sandwiches are really good, believe me,” Changbin says, sitting beside Seungmin.

The group occupied a whole row of seats right in front of them, playing a game that Felix suggested. Chris was sitting on the other side of Seungmin’s seat row, reading a book while listening to music, while Minho just watches them from the seat in front of Chris. Seungmin unwraps the foil around the bread and takes a bite from the sandwich. Changbin starts to eat his sandwich as well, humming happily while devouring it. They stay in silence for a little while until Changbin decides to talk again.

“How’s Jeongin doing?”

Seungmin finishes his sandwich and shakes his head, “He’s good, but… things changed a little”.

Changbin hums, crumpling the foil paper in his hands until it forms a silvery ball.

“It’s natural. He went through a lot of shit.”

Seungmin looks at Changbin that’s still concentrated on the little ball in his hands. He remembers visiting Hyunjin at the hospital and seeing the kitten laid in the hospital bed, his face was so beaten up, full of dark marks and cuts... Changbin was always beside the kitten, holding his hand, massaging his legs… dark circles under his eyes, always with a tired expression.

“How… How did you… How did you get over what happened?”

Changbin looks at him a little surprised. He takes some time to answer, and when he does so, the smile leaves his eyes.

“I didn’t. I still have nightmares and I feel anxious every time Jinnie is not close to me. But, you know… I need to move on. What happened, happened, I cannot change the past, but I can make the present happier and give Hyunjin a better future. This is what gives me strength. I love Jinnie and I want him to be happy”, Changbin talks without looking at Seungmin, but he can clearly notice the intensity of the feelings behind Changbin’s words because he feels the same, “So I need to move on. Because of Hyunjin.”

“I…” Seungmin tries to talk, but he’s cut off by a loud laugh from Hyunjin. They both look at the kitten’s direction, watching while Hyunjin hugs Jeongin with too much force, making the fox complain while laughing at the same time.

“Both of you will never forget what happened, but you can turn this feeling into motivation to make him happier”. Changbin gives Seungmin a warm smile. 

Changbin knows what he’s talking about. Seungmin can’t stay stuck in the past, he needs to move on for Jeongin, to make him happier, to be able to properly take care of his friend...

They are not able to finish the conversation because Hyunjin gets out of his seat and pulls Changbin to play the game with them. Seungmin just smiles and watches while the group start the game all over again, not being able to take his eyes off of Jeongin’s wide smile.

***

“It’s a mansion!” Jeongin screams.

“Not quite a mansion, but we wanted something worth the money and time” Chris answers while taking his bags out of the taxi trunk.

The house they rented to stay during their five days trip is huge with two floors and probably an attic as well, and looks inviting. There’s a large covered porch by the front of the house that looks cosy with one couch filled with pillows and a coffee table by one side, a hammock with two white wooden chairs by the other side.

Hyunjin and Felix keep staring at the house with open mouths and wide eyes, while Minho, Jisung and Chris take care of their belongings while Changbin pays for the two taxis that brought them from the train station to the beach house.

“Let me help, please,” Seungmin says, walking towards Changbin while searching for his wallet inside his backpack.

“No, no need, Seungmin!” Changbin waves at the younger and just pay for both of the rides before Seungmin can reach for his card.

“You guys didn’t even let me pay for mine and Inne’s share in the rent of the house, I need to help with something,” Seungmin says, feeling embarrassed. He’s still a college student, but he has some money saved for these situations. Changbin just smiles at him while throwing an arm above his shoulders.

“Well, you can help with groceries and snacks. I won’t complain at all”

After deciding who would take which bedrooms by playing paper rock and scissors, they soon enter the house, dragging their bags through the huge living room. The group of friends leave their shoes at the entrance and settle themselves on the two couches placed in front of a big screen, deciding now what they want to do for the rest of the day. The train and taxi journey took almost all day, and since most of them are a little tired, they decide to unpack and rest for what’s left of the day.

The afternoon sun is gentle and its light bleeds through the big window at the living room that gives a nice view of the street and the porch, outside. The sunset is getting close, the bright light turning orangish by each minute.

“Do you guys want to ask for some food? I don’t think we have enough energy to cook” Minho says, raising a hand towards Jisung and gesturing for him to sit beside him on the couch. Jisung quietly obeys, hugging his kitten at the moment he settles himself.

“Pizza!” Jeongin screams happily, sitting by the only armchair in the living room, close to the big screen in front of the couches.

Chris and Felix agree with Jeongin, sitting on the other end of the same couch that Jisung and Minho are, while Changbin, Hyunjin and Seungmin take their places at the other couch, already discussing which pizza flavour they want, deciding to order some beer as well. Hyunjin can notice how Changbin keeps quiet by his side, choosing soda to drink instead. The kitten gently moves in his place, placing his chin at one of Changbin’s shoulders and smiling happily at him when he turns to give a quick kiss at his nose.

Felix is in charge to call to the nearest pizza place and ask for the food, while the group of friends just stay in the living room chatting about the train travel and catching up with their lives outside of work. Most of the conversation is about Jeongin and Seungmin, mostly because they’re the only ones that are a little far away from the others. Chris, Changbin and Jisung work together, so they’re always talking and seeing each other, as well as their kittens, so they don’t have much to share.

Hyunjin feels happy and extremely comfortable while listening to his friends talking. He takes his time quietly observing the sunset through the window and the living room too. The house is nice and gives a cosy feeling, with all the rooms looking like they were well planned.

The living room is open, so, looking to the right where Hyunjin is seated, there’s a dinner table with enough seats for everyone. The kitchen is just behind the dinner table, a counter dividing the kitchen from the dining area. Passing the living room and kitchen, there’s a stair that leads to the second floor and a corridor that has three doors. Hyunjin thinks that one of those doors belongs to the medium bedroom that Minho and Jisung ended up with, after almost losing the paper rock and scissors game. Hyunjin and Changbin ended up with one suite and Chris and Felix with the other. Seungmin and Jeongin lost the game and claimed the room on the second floor that has one bunk bed.

They talk for some time until Hyunjin feels his eyes getting heavy.

“Binnie…” he says and Changbin turns to him again, this time, taking one of his hands and squeezing it lightly.

“Do you want to go to the bedroom?” Changbin asks in a low tone and Hyunjin just nods.

“I think I’ll take a shower or something, I feel exhausted,” Hyunjin can hear Minho talking as well and everyone decides that it’s better to unpack and get some rest at their respective bedrooms, while the pizza doesn’t arrive.

They grab their bags again, Hyunjin trying to cling on Changbin as much as he can while dragging their belongings to the second floor. It’s almost a comic scene with Changbin trying to equilibrate his bags on his two hands and Hyunjin in his back, while the others laugh and make fun of them.

Hyunjin secretly smiles and thinks that It’s nice, it feels like family and he loves that.

***

While all their friends walk upstairs with their bags, Minho and Jisung look for the bedroom on the ground floor. The bedroom is not that big, but not too small as well, which Minho thinks it’s perfect. There’s a window with white curtains above the bed and a big wood wardrobe by one of the walls. The bathroom is located behind the door right in front of their bedroom at the corridor, not too far.

“What do you think?” Jisung asks, closing the door behind them.

“It’s perfect, Ji. I liked it” he turns to Jisung with a wide smile. Minho, as always, doesn’t care much about big bedrooms, beds or houses. He just needs Jisung by his side and everything becomes perfect.

Jisung gives him a shy smile and approaches Minho with hesitant steps. Minho watches him in silence, feeling love overflowing his heart. Jisung is always so careful and attentive, it doesn't matter how much time they’re together, Minho never gets tired of the way Jisung treats him. It’s almost like Minho is made of porcelain and if Jisung doesn’t treat or touch his kitten with enough care, he’ll break him.

When they’re close enough, Jisung takes both of Minho’s hands in his, intertwining their fingers.

“I want you to get some rest and relax Min… I know how you worked hard during the past few months. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you... “ Jisung talks in a whispering tone, all shyness and regret.

Minho just smiles and pulls Jisung close to his body, hugging his lover by the waist.

“Ji, you were the one who most worked hard, baby. I just took care of some things… You are the one that needs to properly rest, please” The kitten says, reaching for Jisung’s small back with his brown tail, smiling fondly while watching a light pink painting Jisung’s round cheeks.

They stay that way, hugging each other for some time until Jisung leaves a quick kiss at Minho’s cheek.

“I love you so much,” he says and Minho smiles at that, moving to properly kiss Jisung at the lips. Again, they just stay with their lips connected, moving softly at their own pace. It’s cosy and comfortable, but still, Minho feels all his senses lighting up, like he felt when they kissed for the first time.

Their first kiss is imprinted on Minho’s memory and he still remembers it like it was yesterday. They had just finished watching a movie after spending a nice evening together, with dinner out and some walking at the park close to the apartment. It was a romantic movie and Minho could tell that Jisung was touched by the story, since it was filled with intense scenes and reflections about love. He moved at the couch, approaching Minho slowly and carefully and Minho remembered the way he smiled at the scene, knowing very well what Jisung was going to do. By that time, the kitten had already figured out his own feelings towards Jisung, mostly because he knew he liked Jisung from the first sight. He was patient, because it seemed that Jisung was still taking his time to understand his feelings and trying his best to make Minho comfortable with his presence and happy too. _Come here, Ji,_ he said while patting the couch close to where he was seating and Jisung moved without looking him in the eyes, touching Minho’s hand and squeezing it lightly. 

Jisung moved his hand and cupped Minho's cheek, touching him with so much care and love that it melted Minho's heart. _Can I?_ He asked and Minho just nodded. Their lips touched and Jisung sighed with content, while Minho let out a purr and moved at the couch, pulling Jisung close and close until he was laying above his chest. He felt his heart melting with love and warmth, all his senses lighting up and his insides trembling with anticipation. Jisung's lips felt like dripping honey against his own and the way he was being touched… Minho knew that it was home. He was born to be with Jisung and be touched by him.

What Minho felt that night didn't change at all. Not a single drop of his adoration for Jisung has changed and Minho feels that it won't ever change. Every time Jisung touches him Minho feels loved and cared for, he knows that every kiss and hug, each and every gesture of Jisung comes from the heart.

Minho suddenly purrs and Jisung giggles at the sound, smiling above his lips. 

"What was that?" He asks with such a big smile that it turns his little eyes in two crescent moons and Minho just loves the sight of it.

The kitten doesn't answer and just takes the chance to shower Jisung’s face with more kisses, little pecks all around his owner's happy giggly face. After kissing Jisung as much as he wants, Minho hugs him tightly again and whispers at his ear, making sure to make himself clear as possible.

“You're the best thing that ever happened to me".

***

“It’s huge,” Felix says, looking at the sea through the window at their bedroom. The sun has already left the sky and the moon is shining, its light illuminating the dark waves that crash at the sand, some stars shyly making an appearance as well.

The kitten never saw the sea before, only in movies or series. When he heard about Changbin bringing Hyunjin to the beach after what happened, he felt a little envy. He wanted to travel with Chris as well, to see the sea and dive into its cold water, scenting the salt in the air and how it would mix with Chris’ scent.

“Do you want to take a walk by the beach later?” Chris asks, hugging him from behind and placing his chin at Felix’s shoulder, observing the view outside the window as well.

“Yeah, I would like that” Felix answers, smiling when Chris starts to kiss the side of his neck, gentle pecks trailing up to his ear. It feels nice and quite romantic, even if there’s a lot of people with them in the house. Having a bedroom only for them it’s good, they can have some privacy and do whatever they want together.

It’s a mix of different feelings, for Felix. He’s happy that he’s able to travel to such a beautiful and nice place with Chris and their friends, to be able to stay in such a big house, to finally rest after so many weeks of not having Chris by his side nor his full attention on him. But he’s feeling quite jealous as well. Felix wanted Chris only for himself, he doesn’t want to share him with his friends… Chris was taken from him for so long, even when he was at home, he was always working or trying to get some sleep to wake up and go back to work again. Felix did his best to patiently support Chris during the last few months, but he missed his lover, his friend and owner peppering and showering him with kisses and attention.

“Can we play after dinner?” Felix asks, suddenly turning to Chris and wrapping his black tail around one of Chris’ biceps. His owner looks at him with surprise and Felix tries his best to convince Chris by giving him his little cute pout and big round eyes. The kitten can sense how Chris gets reluctant and he hopes that he’s being as persuasive as he can but then, Chris closes his eyes and denies at the request.

“We can’t, baby. You know that” Chris keeps his eyes closed and buries his face at Felix’s collarbones. He knows that if he takes another look at Felix’s cute pout he’s going to succumb at the kitten’s wishes, and they _can’t_ play while all his friends are inside the house.

“But Chris… It has been a while…” Felix tries again and this time his tail travels down Chris’ sides, reaching for his waist, rubbing gentle circles at the place.

“Felix. No. You always get too loud. No.” The thought of all his friends accidentally listening to Felix moaning and crying while they... play… it makes him burn with embarrassment and he doesn’t want that. He wants Felix’s pretty noises and moans all by himself, he’s not willing to share this with anyone. 

Felix, otherwise, is completely aware of his voyeurism kink and he actually doesn’t care about other people listening to him, but Chris is still shy and pretty much cautious about their adventures with pain and sex games. Because of that, they always do things safely and behind four walls, preferably inside their apartment. Sometimes Felix really wanted for them to try and push more their limits, doing bold things in different places, but he knows that Chris will never push or force him to do anything that he doesn’t want, so Felix doesn’t want to push or force Chris on doing something he knows that he’s not comfortable enough to do as well.

“Okay…” he sighs and Chris lifts his head from his collarbones looking at him with an apologetic look in the eyes, “But we still can do things? Right?” He asks and Chris just smiles at him.

“Of course baby”

They exchange a soft kiss that soon gets heated with Felix wrapping himself around Chris, who easily lifts him from the ground, carrying him into the bathroom direction.

“Want to shower together?” He asks and Felix just lets a loud meow of contentment, nodding vigorously.

***

Hyunjin giggles at the sound of Felix’s meow. The couple is settled at the suite in front of Hyunjin’s and Changbin’s and somehow the kitten is sure that he’ll need to use his earphones to sleep at night.

“I hope they don’t do anything strange while we’re still inside the house,” Changbin says, looking at the closed door of their bedroom, stopping unpacking his bag for a moment.

“We can pester them as vengeance,” Hyunjin says with a wide smile.

“Jinnie!” Changbin scolds him but Hyunjin doesn’t care because the way Changbin blushes is too cute.

They keep unpacking their belongings in silence for some time until Hyunjin finishes first, throwing himself at the bed, feeling how fluffy the mattress is, hugging one of the pillows tightly and just watching Changbin moving around the bedroom, settling his things around the place.

Changbin always exaggerates and brings too many things with him, while Hyunjin never takes many of his belongings, which causes him to always make use of Changbin’s cologne or t-shirts, even his shampoo. Changbin, however, never complains about that, so Hyunjin doesn’t mind bringing a bag full of his things.

“Want to take a nap before dinner?” Changbin asks while placing his clothes inside the wardrobe.

“No, watching you is more interesting, actually” and with that, Changbin snaps his head towards the bed, meeting a giggling Hyunjin that playfully winks at him, his greyish tail moving in the air, suggestively.

“Can you stop doing that?” Changbin says, feeling his ears getting hot once again. Hyunjin always does this to him - always makes him feel flustered, blushing all the time, making him think things that he shouldn’t, _wish_ for things that he shouldn’t. Hyunjin is still recovering, both his body and mind, so Changbin needs to control his thoughts. From both heads, up and down.

Another soft laugh echoes in the bedroom and Changbin can’t help but smile at the sound.

“Is just that I couldn’t spend much time with you, Binnie...” Hyunjin says and Changbin turns to his direction again. This time, the kitten has a sad look in his eyes while still hugging one of the pillows close to his body.

Changbin takes a deep breath and walks towards the bed, sitting by one of its ends and reaching a hand for Hyunjin, gently caressing his hair. It got longer after so many months of treatment and physiotherapy sessions, the kitten didn’t get a single haircut after getting admitted into the hospital that day. He just got his hair cut one time, to actually even the strands that were poorly cutted by those horrible men, and that was all. A soft purr draws Changbin’s attention back to the bedroom and he gives Hyunjin a tiny smile.

“We’ll have a lot of time to spend together now, Jinnie. Don’t worry”

All the owners are well aware of the time they had to sacrifice to make this trip possible, and Changbin is painfully aware of all the trouble that he made his friends go through, too. It’s especially hard for him since he’s the one that asked so much from everyone and had to rely on his friends so many times. He knows that they would do it all over again if he needed, but even so, it’s quite hard for Changbin to know that he’s partially the reason why they all had to endure all those hard months.

Chris, Jisung and he worked so much, so many hours, that none of them could spend time with their lovers. Minho and Felix had to help him take Jinnie to the hospital for the treatment, and because of that, none of them could actually meet Seungmin and Jeongin as much as they wanted, being able to only talk through video and phone calls. Changbin hopes that all of them can finally have some peace and relaxing time during this trip.

“Last time I wasn’t able to enter the sea… Do you think I can learn how to swim now?” Hyunjin asks, his voice sounding as tired as he looks. The kitten is still hugging the pillow, his eyes closed.

“Yes, I think so,” Changbin answers and watches Hyunjin mumble an “I’m happy” before finally drifting off. Their first trip together to the beach is full of bittersweet memories and Changbin can’t actually describe how he feels about them.

It was sad and happy at the same time, watching how Hyunjin was so amazed by the sea and knowing how everything happened quite the opposite of what Changbin had planned for their first trip. He wanted something romantic and full of bright memories about how they would have their first time together, saving up to stay at a nice hotel for a week or so, but it ended up being a rushed trip to the beach that lasted two days, with them booking a tiny room at a simple hotel and sleeping away their physical and emotional tiredness most of the time, crying together and only sharing a kiss or two while cuddling in the bed, before going back to their house and Changbin being forced to work fulltime again.

It wasn’t as perfect as he wanted it to be, so Changbin really hopes this trip will be better. It needs to be better. For all of them.

***

Jeongin rushed to the ground floor as soon as he finished changing into more comfortable clothes. He wanted to explore the Netflix catalogue of movies to select one that all his friends would enjoy watching together.

He was so excited! He never went on a trip with only his friends. Well, actually, he never had that many friends before. His friendships were only Seungmin and tae-tae, and the customers that used to talk to him while he helped his adoptive mom taking care of her floriculture. The fox couldn’t be happier for meeting Hyunjin, even if it was in the middle of a bad situation.

He hums a soft melody while looking at the big screen in front of him, wiggling his orange tail in the air, feeling excitement rushing through his body, giving him great expectation for the night and the days that he’ll spend with the group by the beach. When he finally finds a movie that he hopes everyone likes, the doorbell suddenly rings and the smell of pizza makes his stomach growl.

Jeongin jumps in his place and he’s about to call for Seungmin when Minho shows up at the room, giving him a wide smile.

“Jeongin, please, can you pick up the plates and the glasses for us? I’ll take care of the food” Minho gently says and Jeongin just does exactly what was asked, feeling contentment while helping to set the dinner table for his friends.

While Minho finishes dealing with the delivery man, Jisung shows up at the room and helps Jeongin, holding a nice conversation about fun things to do by the beach with everyone.

When all the pizza boxes are placed above the table, Minho calls for the others and after a few minutes, the group of friends is reunited again by the table, happily eating and drinking together, filling up their stomachs while laughing and talking about irrelevant things.

The night goes by, Chris, Jisung and Seungmin drinking a little more than expected but all of them being able to play the games that Felix and Jeongin suggest. They play some card games, one with guessing words and, of course, truth or dare. Jeongin makes a mental note to never play truth or dare with his friends ever again, principally when some of them are tipsy because of beer. He didn’t want to know about how far Changbin and Hyunjin went together, nor even watch Minho and Jisung kiss each other after Felix dared them to do it. Apart from that, everything went fine, although the fox is sure that he’s a little traumatized after witnessing those two events.

It made it really hard for Jeongin to avoid the annoying tingling sensation travelling through his body and the tickling on his fox ears. Of course, Jeongin wasn’t totally innocent, he knew about these kinds of things, about sex in general, but well… he's not experienced in this, he even didn’t have his first Heat, yet. Lately, he was feeling strange warm sensations every time Seungmin hugged or touched him somehow, but again… it was normal, right? Feeling warm and everything, it was supposed to feel nice when someone hugs and touches you… Right?

“I think it’s time for a movie!” Hyunjin says, jumping out of his seat on the couch.

Jeongin then pushes aside all those complicated thoughts and stands up from the armchair that he was occupying, happily announcing that he has a suggestion. Everyone agreed to take a look at the movie trailer to see if all of them would be interested in it and it turned out that Jeongin was right - all of them enjoyed the trailer, so they decided to watch the movie together.

It’s an action movie that balances some suspense as well, taking scary screams out from Hyunjin and Felix during the tense scenes. Jeongin doesn’t want to admit, he feels a little scared as well. The sudden scenes and the suspense around it make him feel a little scared, but Jeongin refuses to scream. He’ll never scream. He’s not a coward, he needs to…

“Hey” a whispered voice echoes close to his ears and he turns back into the armchair, meeting a friendly smile, “Come here” Seungmin shakes a hand to him, calling Jeongin to have a sit close to him at the couch. Jeongin doesn’t think twice.

The fox is soon wrapped around Seungmin at the couch, his eyes glued to the big screen while he does his best to not scream every time something scary happens at the movie. He buries his face by Seungmin’s chest, feeling his calming scent while listening to the other kittens screaming like there was no tomorrow. Jeongin concentrates at the scent of freshly cut grass and earth, doing his best to stay calm.

It’s late in the night and eventually, Jeongin drifts off, feeling the strange warmth that takes over his body every time he’s too close to Seungmin. However, he decides on not fighting it - Jeongin just let himself enjoy the cosy feeling while snuggling at Seungmin.

***

“Time for bed, I think,” Chris says, smiling lazily while Felix lets out a big yawl by his side. The movie just ended and Jeongin, Hyunjin and Jisung are sleeping.

“Ji is too tired. Better we call out the night” Minho says while looking fondly at his lover, caressing Jisung’s blue strands that rest above his thighs.

They all start to move and Seungmin gets out of the couch with Jeongin groggily mumbling incoherent phrases while he places the fox at his back, starting to walk into the direction of the stairs. He’s already used to this situation, Jeongin often falls asleep when they watch something together at night, back at their apartment.

Changbin gently wakes up Hyunjin and they leave for their bedroom, while Chris and Felix stay behind to clean up everything. Minho says goodbye and picks up Jisung, leaving for their bedroom too.

While Seungmin gently puts Jeongin at the bed, he can’t help but smile while watching the calm expression on his friend’s face. He moves involuntarily and touches Jeongin’s dark hair fondly, sitting at the ground beside the bed and smiling at the way the fox leans at his touch.

_Friend._

Seungmin can’t say for sure anymore if Jeongin is still his friend. He’s more than that, Jeongin was always more than a friend for Seungmin, but he just realised this fact only after the kidnapping.

It’s confusing.

Seungmin doesn’t know how to deal with that information, not yet.

He’s still caressing Jeongin’s hair when he hears a soft knock on the door.

“Yes?” He says, as quiet as possible.

“Are you two good there?” Chris’ face peeks through the door.

“Yes, we’re fine” Seungmin smiles and Chris just nods, smiling back at him.

“Okay. I’m just checking, if you need anything, just call us. Also, I talked with Changbin, so don't need to bother waking up early tomorrow. We decided to rest as much as possible, we’re all tired. We’ll probably sleep a lot”

Sungmin nods at him and then, Chris is gone.

He takes a deep breath and stands up from where he was sitting, but a tiny hand grabs his wrist.

“Stay” Jeongin’s voice is almost a whisper and it’s raspy, his eyes still closed. Seungmin looks at him in silence for a few seconds and his body moves before he can think clearly about what he’s doing.

In the past when they were children, they had spent countless nights laying in the same bed, hugging while smiling at each other and falling asleep together, but after growing up, this habit gradually stopped. However, after what happened and everything that Jeongin went through, the fox started to crawl Seungmin’s bed at night again more frequently. They always end up wrapping themselves around each other again while falling asleep, waking up with tangled legs, arms around their waists and faces close to each other.

Feels different from when they were younger, at least for Seungmin. It’s warmer and more intimate, it’s something that he can’t explain… every time he feels Jeongin inside his arms, his breathing getting slower and slower, the soft sighs of contentment that he lets out, Seungmin knows that it’s different, deep down he can feel it. It’s something that they used to do when younger, but this time, it has a deeper meaning for both of them.

The bed is small and they both need to squeeze themselves to fit at the narrow mattress, but Seungmin doesn’t care. He can feel the steady beating of Jeongin’s heart close to his own and the soft sighs, the way his fox ears touch his chin and the tail that rests close to their intertwined legs. Seungmin feels warm inside, almost like he’s close to the fire, contentment washing over him while he hugs Jeongin close to his chest.

At that moment, Seungmin is not sure about most of his feelings but he has clear certainty about just one: he’ll never let Jeongin be taken from him ever again.

***

Felix can hear the seagulls outside his room, watching the rays of sunlight bleeding through the curtains of their room, the distant sound of the waves crashing the shore and some children laugh far away, indicating that the day is already advanced. He feels warm and safe with Chris’ strong arms holding his body from behind, keeping him close while he sleeps, his calm breathing reaching Felix’s nape, steady and soft.

He loves waking up first, feeling how much Chris loves him just by the way he holds him in the bed. A tiny smile lifts one corner of his lips while Felix purrs softly, gently moving inside Chris’ arms to turn and face him.

After months and months in a relationship with Chris, after everything that they went through and what they discovered about themselves, learning how to live together and what makes them happy, Felix can finally say that he feels truly happy and that he knows, for sure, that he’ll never be abandoned again.

At the beginning of their relationship, Felix was afraid of doing something wrong and making Chris angry, so he always did things to please Chris and be good, everything done with a deep fear of being kicked out again. His fear used to overshadow his love for Chris and he had to learn how to trust and understand that Chris would never judge or abandon him as his former owner had done, that Chris truly loved him and would always stay by his side.

It was difficult, but after finally understanding how deep Chris’ love was for him, Felix finally freed himself from the fear and let his love flow without any restraints. He’s still learning how to live with Chris and they still have little fights but their love makes them understand each other and there’s no room for fear, never again.

Once, he was a stray cat looking for shelter and food, only trying to survive on the streets, but now, he has an owner and a place to call home, but most important: he has someone to call his, and only his. Chris is more than an owner, he is his lover and partner, his world and everything. He’ll never let go of Felix and neither Felix will leave him.

The kitten feels his heart overflow with love and adoration, watching Chris in his deep sleep. It’s peaceful and Felix feels the urge to kiss his lover, so he gives in and their lips connect softly, only a whisper of an actual kiss. Felix only touches Chris’ lips with his, taking a deep breath and inhaling Chris’ scent, coffee and sea salt making his heart skip a beat. It’s warm and comfy and he softly smiles above Chris’ lips, moving again to place lazy pecks at Chris’ face.

The tip of Chris’ nose. The little freckle above his right eye, too light to notice from the distance. Chris’ cheek, right above his dimple. The other cheek. Chris’ chin. His soft lips again, and Felix takes a little longer to part from them. When he does, a giggle echoes at his ears and Chris’ strong arms pulls him closer to a deep kiss.

Chris doesn’t ask for Felix to part his lips, he just licks the kitten’s lower lip and soon their tongues touch, sending a shiver through Felix’s body. They know each other so well by now that they don’t need to ask for permission or guidance to make the other feel pleasure, they just move and the response is there: a soft moan or growl, a muffled meow and their hips grinding against each other, slowly moving at a perfect rhythm, arms around each other and deep breaths.

The friction is good, but Felix needs more. He always wants more. One of his hands that caresses Chris’ hair leaves its place and he reaches for the waistband of Chris’ pants, sneaking inside the fabric, his tiny fingers curling around Chris’ cock, slowly moving, up and down, up and down, up and…

“Fuck” Chris swears while looking down at the hand that disappears inside his pants. Felix smiles, satisfied with the reaction and kisses Chris’ jawline.

“Good morning,” he whispers while still moving his hand and Chris looks back at him, deep dark eyes full with lust already eating him alive. Felix recognises that look and he loves it. He knows what comes next and he can already feel his entire body aching for it, submitting to that part of Chris.

“Where’s the lube?” Chris asks and Felix smiles at him, pointing with his chin to the nightstand beside their big bed, at the left.

“I’ve prepared everything,” Felix says and Chris doesn’t waste time, attacking his lips again, biting at the flesh and sucking at his tongue. They keep kissing while Felix jerks him off, slowly but at a steady rhythm. His other hand is clutching Chris’ hair, pulling at the strands with too much force. He knows that Chris doesn’t care and actually enjoys that, so Felix makes sure to never lose the rhythm while he pulls Chris’ hair.

Chris, on the other hand, is gently patting Felix’s head, caressing his little cat ears while he reaches for his ass, with the other. It’s a funny contrast: while Chris gently caresses Felix’s head, the other grips tight at his flesh, causing Felix to meow at the pleasure it gives him, he loves when Chris roughly squeezes his ass with too much force.

Soon, Chris is moving his hips, fucking Felix’s fingers and growling inside his mouth, their kiss getting slopier and impatient. Felix wants to ask to be fucked so bad, but he knows that this Chris - the one that shows up every once in a while, the one that is always hidden beneath all the adoration and care that Chris has for him - this Chris won’t like to hear him demanding things, so he just enjoys the touching and tries his best to please his lover, while being good and having enough patience for his reward.

"Faster" Chris commands and Felix obeys. He increases the rhythm of his hand and tightens his grip. Chris starts to buck his hips faster as well and decides that he's tired of kissing Felix’s lips, for now. He trails down, sucking at Felix's neck, who lets a loud meow when Chris sucks too hard at the sensitive spot beneath his ear.

"Shhhhh" Chris covers his mouth and lets out a devilish smile, "keep quiet."

Felix looks deep at his eyes and silently nods, feeling too excited. Chris goes back attacking his neck and collarbones and Felix tries his best to not let any meow or moan escape his lips, focusing on keeping jerking off Chris.

They keep like that for a little while, Chris moving at the bed and towering over Felix, straddling his kitty and fucking both of his hands that now wraps around his tip and length, touching and lightly squeezing him. Felix can’t help but bite at his lips, looking at the way the tip of Chris’ cock disappears between his fingers just to appear again all wet and inviting. He salivates, eager to have that cock inside his mouth, already parting his lips and sticking his tongue out.

He hears a soft laugh and looks back up, meeting Chris’ dark eyes.

“Do you want me to fuck your mouth?” He asks, the tone of his voice too sweet, sounding almost like he was offering a delicious candy to Felix. The kitten nods, making his best begging expression. But, apparently, Chris is up to tease him today.

“No,” He says, and suddenly there’s no more cock between Felix’s hands, no more Chris above him, only emptiness and frustration washing over the kitten.

“Chris, no” the whining slips through his mouth without further notice. He immediately places one of his hands above his lips, wide eyes, looking at Chris that is searching for the lube at the nightstand.

“So, do you prefer my cock on your hands or inside you?” Chris asks, shaking the bottle of lube for Felix. The kitten stares at the bottle and lets his eyes travel down, hungrily looking at Chris’ hard dick.

“Inside, please” he answers and opens his legs, as far as he can. Chris laughs at that and opens the bottle, going back to the bed, placing himself between his kitten’s legs. He feels a little out of his rough-self, suddenly feeling only adoration for Felix. He pours a good amount of the liquid on his fingers, lowering himself to place a passionate kiss at Felix’s lips, who welcomes him with open arms and hot lips.

“I love you,” Chris says while parting from Felix that looks at him with sparkling eyes.

“I love you too”

And then, Chris is back at his roughness, fingering Felix as fast as he can, reducing his kitty to a whimpering mess while opening him up to take his cock. He fucks Felix while covering his mouth with one hand, watching satisfied Felix’s eyes rolling to the back of his head, pressing hard against the kitten’s prostate and making him cum hard, so hard that the shaking at Felix’s legs doesn’t stop for a little while, not even after Chris himself cums inside him and takes his member out of his dripping hole.

They laugh at that, Felix nuzzling at Chris’s neck, both of them tired from their orgasms. They cuddle after Chris cleans them up, Felix falling asleep inside Chris warm arms again with a big smile in his lips, feeling only contentment and fuzzy happiness.

***

Changbin woke up early, feeling the weight of Hyunjin’s legs above his thighs and the kitten’s head resting at his shoulder. He tries his best to get out of the bed without waking up Hyunjin, successfully able to go to the bathroom, take a shower and put on some comfortable clothes.

Before going out of the bedroom, he takes a look at Hyunjin that still sleeps peacefully, now hugging a pillow close to his chest. Changbin smiles at the view and leaves the room, walking down the stairs to enter the kitchen. Since there’s no sign that any of his friends are awake, he just prepares a small breakfast only for him and Hyunjin. 

Changbin finds coffee at one of the cabinets of the kitchen and starts to prepare it. He finds a few slices of the home-cooked bread that Felix brought for the trip and takes a few pieces for him and Hyunjin, leaving some behind. There’s a little jar of raspberry jam at the fridge and Changbin puts everything above a large tray to take to his bedroom.

They all agreed on not waking up early today, nor trying to wake up others too, wanting to sleep and rest, waking up only when they want and get out of their bedrooms when they need.

When Changbin enters their room again, Hyunjin is awake, sitting at the bed and yawning while rubbing his sleepy eyes, messy hair and puffy lips.

“Where were you? I woke up and you weren't in bed”

“I’m sorry Jinnie, I went grab some breakfast for us” Changbin answers, closing the door behind him with his foot.

Hyunjin lazily smiles at him, his grey tail rising behind him.

“Hmmm, coffee,” He says and Changbin can’t help but smile wider at the vision. Hyunjin is always cute when he wakes up. Well, when he doesn’t decide to be naughty.

Changbin puts the tray above the bed and approaches Hyunjin, leaving a sweet kiss at the kitten’s lips.

“Morning, Jinnie,” He says.

“Morning, Binnie” Hyunjin answers while giggling, pulling Changbin for another kiss.

They have breakfast at the bed, watching a live show on the TV in their bedroom, laughing at some of the useless things that the hosts do at the live show. When they’re finished, Changbin takes the dishes to the kitchen and Hyunjin goes take a shower.

“Do you want to stay inside or go take a walk by the beach?” Changbin asks when he hears that Hyunjin is finished showering. The kitten comes out of the bathroom, smiling and nodding, wearing a white t-shirt with navy blue tactel shorts.

“I want to see the sea” Hyunjin happily says and they go out of their bedroom, holding hands and smiling faces. 

The third door at the corridor where the ground bedroom is located leads to the back of the house. The couple is greeted by a beautiful and huge back porch decorated with more couches and some puffs displayed above the wooden floor. It looks cosy and peaceful, the perfect place for having a barbecue by the evening or reading a nice book while drinking tea. They walk together towards a tiny wooden stare that ends by the sand.

The sea is a few meters ahead of them. Hyunjin and Changbin take off their slippers and the kitten can’t help but smile when he feels the warm sand above his fingers, happiness already filling up his heart. He loves the soft and warm breeze that comes from the sea, the sound of crashing waves echoing through the air while Hyunjin stares at the view in awe. The horizon merges with the blue sky while the sun casts its light above the water, the deep blue immensity taking Hyunjin’s breath away.

“It’s so beautiful” the kitten murmurs while still looking at the sea. He would never get tired of looking at the huge expansion of water, amazed by it. He has bittersweet memories of the sea, remembering the first time that he saw it with Changbin by his side.

Changbin keeps silent beside Hyunjin, squeezing the kitten’s hand from time to time. He wants to create good memories with Hyunjin, he wants his lover to feel happy about this trip.

“Come on, let’s go,” Changbin says, dragging Hyunjin with him for a nice and slow walk.

The beach is not too crowded, with only a few families occupying it. Hyunjin walks close to the cold water, feeling the pleasant splash on his legs, holding a nice conversation with Changbin about what they could do together after the trip.

Some children approach them and talk with Hyunjin, curious about his cat ears and tail, laughing when he twirls it in the air. Changbin just watches the scene in silence, a loving look in his eyes, arms crossed. It’s a beautiful day and they want to enjoy it together, make the most of it.

“They’ll probably just sleep all day,” Changbin says, taking one of Hyunjin’s hands in his when they start walking again. The kitten is waving at the children, smiling fondly at them.

“I think so, everyone is so tired. You should sleep too, Binnie.” Hyunjin says, turning to look at Changbin, who smiles at him.

“You know that I can’t sleep for too much time. And I’m relaxing too, even if I’m awake. Being with you is enough for me” Changbin answers. He always says these kinds of things so naturally, it always makes Hyunjin blush a little.

“You’re so cheesy,” The kitten says, looking at the opposite side to hide his blushing from Changbin.

“I’m just a romantic man,” Changbin says, all smiles, knowing too well that Hyunjin is blushing.

They walk in silence for some time, until they decide to stop and have a seat by the sand, just enjoying the view and holding hands. Only the sound of the waves crashing the shore and the distant laugh from the children are heard, Changbin and Hyunjin staying in comfortable silence, both of them remembering the first time that they went to the beach.

The truth is that Changbin has a plan. He wants to give Hyunjin good memories and he wants to make his kitty happy as well, so, he thinks that this is the perfect time to talk with Jinnie about his plans, because this time, he wants his kitty to know about them, to see if he approves them.

Changbin takes a deep breath and squeezes Hyunjin's hand a little, drawing his attention to him.

“Jinnie… I know that you like the sea, very much, and… I want you to have good memories on this trip, to have a good time relaxing in a place that you love… so… I was thinking…” Changbin takes a look at Hyunjin’s face and the kitten hums at him in an approving way, telling him that he can continue, “Do you want to spend the rest of the days, or, I don’t know, a few more days here? We can look online for a hotel to stay, or an apartment, if you want. I know that our first trip wasn’t romantic or happy, so… I just…” Changbin says, head down while he keeps fiddling with Hyunjin’s long fingers, holding it tight and feeling his heart running a marathon inside his chest. He stops and looks up again just to meet a loving smile.

“I would love it, Binnie! But only if you can, of course. I want to make good memories with you as well, and spend some alone time with you.” Hyunjin answers, feeling happy about Changbin’s suggestion. Deep down, he kinda already knows that Changbin had this planned out before they even get here, he probably already looked for a place to stay, as well… and Hyunjin smiles at this thought. He always loved the way Changbin used to surprise him almost every week but he thinks that he prefers this Changbin that asks for his approval or opinion before deciding anything.

“Okay… We can look for a place later, then?” Changbin asks, avoiding Hyunjin’s eyes. The kitten laughs and hugs him by the neck, placing a little peck at his cheek.

“You can just show me the place that you already found, Binnie,” He says and Changbin coughs, denouncing the fact that he already had everything planned. 

When they return from their walk, the house is still silent and it’s almost midday, so they decide to go out again and look for a nice restaurant, leaving a little note for their friends, letting them know that they’re out for lunch.

Changbin calls for a cab and Hyunjin can’t help the feeling that overflows his heart, while he watches the sea running outside the car window. He feels at ease, too happy and comfortable. With Changbin’s arm around his shoulders, Hyunjin feels like there isn’t a safer place than beside his lover and friends.

***

Minho takes a look at the tray above the counter and the dishes already cleaned beside it. It was probably Changbin, he's the only one that has the ability to leave everything cleaned and organised after making use of it, among their group of friends.

The kitten woke up after hearing some footsteps at the corridor. He got out of the bed, leaving a sleeping Jisung behind and walking to the kitchen, craving for coffee. When he sees that the coffee machine was used, he starts searching for the coffee powder and finds it inside the cabinets.

There isn’t enough food to prepare a nice breakfast for all of them, so he decides to go out and do some grocery shopping. He takes a quick shower, changes his clothes and leaves a note for Jisung, saying that he left to buy food and that he’s going to come back as soon as possible, kissing Jisung’s forehead before leaving.

Minho takes his phone with him, turning the location on and opening the map to search for a grocery shop near their rented house.

The kitten struggles with the app for some time until he finds a nearby small grocery store and a bakery. It's just a few minutes walk and he soon arrives at the place, buying some fruits and juices, butter and jam, some eggs, cheese, ram and bacon. He buys milk and coffee too, in case they want some. He leaves for the bakery and buys some bread as well, making his way back to the house already planning the menu for breakfast.

The house is still silent when Minho arrives and he enjoys the peaceful time, knowing very well that it’s going to be too loud in a few hours. Since no one seems to be awake yet, he prepares only Jisung’s and his breakfast, using the same big tray to put the plate with scrambled eggs, the orange juice and the bread above it, going back to their bedroom to wake up his owner.

Minho feels bad about waking Jisung up, but he needs to eat and Minho knows very well that if he leaves him, Jisung will probably just sleep the entire day and have no food nor go out of the house.

“Ji, love… wake up… it’s too late” Minho gently calls him, caressing Jisung’s blue hair and kissing his forehead.

There’s no response but Minho doesn’t give up.

“Ji… come on, I made scrambled eggs. Your favourite.” He tries again and Jisung turns in the bed to the other side, mumbling. Minho takes a deep sigh and approaches Jisung again. He whispers close to Jisung’s ear, making use of his most seductive voice tone.

“I’ll go to the beach… alone… do you want some random guy looking at me all wet going out of the water?” and with that, Jisung is up in one second.

“No! No! Don’t go, Min!” He’s almost screaming and Minho just laughs at the scene.

“Come, baby, you need to eat”

They have breakfast while Jisung rambles about Minho going to the beach all covered, with no skin out for anyone to look at. The kitten just laughs at that, shushing Jisung and reassuring him that it was only a joke to wake him up. Jisung doesn't believe at first but after some time, it looks like he forgot about it, since he starts talking about going to the beach with Minho and swimming with him.

When they're finished, Minho takes Jisung to the bathroom, telling him to take a shower while he puts on some sunblock. Well, at least, Minho tries to do it, because he ends up inside the shower again, Jisung pulling him close to a kiss while they both laugh. It's a happy feeling, watching Jisung having fun and smiling after a long time. There's no more frowns at his face or deep sighs echoing around the room, only that light-hearted laugh that fills up Minho's heart with happiness and adoration.

When Jisung smiles, the sun shines brighter for Minho. When they kiss, the world stops spinning. When Minho feels Jisung's trembling fingers touching his shoulders and back, it's almost like they're the only people in the entire world. And Minho loves that.

Minho loves feeling those lips against his, those cautious fingers trailing his skin, the hunger at Jisung's voice, the love overflowing every gesture and touch. He'll never get tired of his tiny Jisung, his clumsy, talented and loving Jisung.

They kiss and make out above the shower, feeling the water running their bodies, grinding against each other while trying their best to breathe. It takes a little while for them to actually shower and when they get out of the bathroom, there's a little note at the kitchen counter. It's from Changbin and Hyunjin.

"They went to a restaurant, to have lunch," Jisung says, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl after leaving the note at the same place he found it. It's past midday and the rest of their friends still didn't wake up.

"Good. Well, are you hungry? We can have some food before going to the beach" Minho says, doing his best to dry his wet hair with the towel.

"No, no. I'm okay. And you, are you hungry?" Jisung asks, approaching Minho.

"No. We can go to the beach, then?" Minho says smiling, letting Jisung take his hand and drag him to the bedroom.

"Hmm, I have something to do before going to the beach, and I need your help," Jisung says and Minho giggles at that.

"Really Ji? What's it?" He playfully asks and Jisung looks at him with shining eyes before talking.

"I think I need help with my kissing abilities" and with that, Minho is pressed against the door the second they close it, smiling while Jisung kisses him hard and passionately.

***

It's too hot. Too hot.

Jeongin wakes up feeling too hot and warm and sticky. There’s a weight at his back, holding him too close and it’s making him feel warm. He lets out a tired whine and makes his best to turn on the mattress, but it’s difficult because he’s squeezed inside a tight hug and the wall is right in front of him, leaving no space for the fox to move.

“Hmmm…” the weight murmurs while Jeongin still tries desperately to turn, to get out of the tight hold. When he finally does, there’s Seungmin before him, his sleepy face too close to Jeongin's.

Suddenly, the world is Seungmin and Seungmin only. His lips are a little plushy and his caramel hair is messy, the strands sticking in every direction. His eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes tightly closed. Seungmin’s chest is pressed against Jeongin’s and their legs intertwined, he’s deep in sleep but his arms around the fox start squeezing him again, bringing Jeongin close and close until…

Jeongin always saw it in movies and series but never occurred to him that it would possibly happen to him. It’s soft and warm against his, making the fox shiver and accelerating his little heart. Jeongin feels like butterflies are flying inside his stomach and it’s a strange feeling that makes him too conscious about how close they are and where they bodies are touching, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to let go, so he just closes his eyes and enjoys the feeling, taking a deep breath and inhaling Seungmin’s scent.

Their lips softly touch, only pressed against each other, but it’s enough for Jeongin to feel like he’s on fire and he thinks that he might combust at any second. He stays in his place, doesn’t move at all and when their lips part from each other it’s only because Seungmin moves in the bed, mumbling something about pizza and letting go of Jeongin to lay in his back, facing the bunk bed above their heads.

Jeongin watches him in silence, amazed by how he’s still sleeping, unaware of what just happened. What he just did. What _they_ did.

And then, suddenly the weight of what happened hits him like a wave crashing at his face and Jeongin pushes Seungmin out of the bed, wide eyes and hands covering his mouth. Seungmin, of course, is finally awake, and he looks at Jeongin with a puzzled expression, trying to understand what happened, looking at Jeongin and asking if he’s okay and if it was a nightmare. But Jeongin doesn’t answer. He just runs.

He runs and suddenly he’s at the beach, looking for his friends and he sees Minho and Jisung and he calls for his friends, running and jumping at Minho the second the cat turns to him, a worried look in his eyes.

***

“You love him,” Minho says.

“Yes, I love him” Jeongin confirms, of course he loves Seungmin. They’re family and he’s his owner. However, Minho denies his words.

“No, not in that way. Romantically. You love Seungmin as the love that I have for Jisung, Felix for Chris and Jinnie for Changbin”.

And Jeongin suddenly is deaf. He hears a little buzzing and his head is spinning around, Minho strangely flying at the sky. Their friends are running around him, Hyunjin and Felix entering the house to pick a glass of water for him.

When the world finally stops spinning, he’s laid at the wooden floor, still in the back of the house and Felix is looking at him with worried eyes.

“Our bodies don’t lie, Innie,” He says and Jeongin closes his eyes, curling in a little ball at the ground, covering his face while fighting back his tears.

“No. I love him only because he’s my friend and owner, my family. That’s not possible.” Jeongin whispers and there are gentle hands caressing his shoulders, trying to comfort him.

“Changbin is all those things for me as well” It’s Hyunjin who talks and Jeongin looks at him through the crack between his fingers. It’s only when he looks deep at Hyunjin’s eyes, that he starts crying again.

Hyunjin takes him in a tight hug, bringing him close, and Jeongin hates the way it’s so different… I shouldn’t be different from when Seungmin hugs him, but it is. It’s not warm nor makes his heart race, it’s only comforting and gentle, like Hyunjin himself. When Seungmin hugs him, the world suddenly heats up and Jeongin can feel only love, he feels like his place is inside Seungmin’s arms. This doesn’t happen with Hyunjin and Jeongin hates it.

When he had his panic attack after kissing Seungmin, Jeongin practically ran through the entire house without noticing, waking up Chris and Felix, scaring Changbin and Hyunjin that had just arrived from their lunch at the restaurant, jumping on Minho that was enjoying a peaceful day at the beach with Jisung. He didn’t stop mumbling about feeling hot and kisses, crying while repeating Seungmin’s name while denying whatever had just happened.

Seungmin ran after him and when he found Jeongin, it wasn’t helpful at all. Jeongin just panicked even more and couldn’t calm himself, so the group decided to split. Minho, Felix and Hyunjin stayed in the house with Jeongin, while Changbin, Chris and Jisung took Seungmin to have breakfast out of the house.

With the humans out, Minho cooked a fast breakfast for Jeongin while Hyunjin and Felix tried to calm him down, and when the fox was finally fed and more at ease, they all immediately started asking questions about what happened. And that was when Jeongin explained to them about how he was starting to feel hot every time Seungmin touched him and about the accidental kiss they shared.

After spending a little while hugging Hyunjin, Jeongin finally is able to calm down again and his tears stop falling down.

“There’s nothing wrong with that, Jeongin,” Felix says, a gentle hand caressing one of his knees.

“I can’t feel this” Jeongin denies for the millionth time in the afternoon, “This is… this is wrong…”

“Are you telling me the love that we have for our owners is wrong?” Minho says and Jeongin immediately denies. He looks at the cat that stares at him with gentle but fierce eyes.

“No, that’s not what-”

“It’s totally normal. Not all the hybrids end up falling in love with their owners, but it can happen. It’s not disgusting or wrong, it’s natural. It can happen when the owner feels the same, too. So, no, it’s not wrong, Jeongin. You shouldn’t think like that.” Minho says and Jeongin stays in silence.

“Seungmin might love you too, Innie. He probably does, since you’re starting to feel some Heat symptoms” Felix says and Jeongin can feel his heart hitting his rib bones like crazy.

“He… Do you think that…”

“Heat is connected with love, Jeongin. Not one-sided love, it has to be reciprocated. Comes from the hybrid and its partner, it’s a two-way path.” Minho clarifies and Jeongin stops talking for a little while, letting Minho’s words sink in.

He never thought that way. Reciprocated? Jeongin was reciprocated? Seungmin might love him too, but… not like family or a friend, but… like a partner? A lover?

Jeongin was denying his feelings so hard because, according to him, they were wrong. Seungmin was his family and the fox thought it was wrong to love a family member like that, not because he was a hybrid and Seungmin was human. He thought that he should love Seungmin in the same way that he loves him, like family and only that. Jeongin thought that he was wrong for feeling those strange warm sensations, that Seungmin would feel disgusted if he knew what was happening with Jeongin… but… if Heat was triggered by love… and reciprocate love… that means… it means that Seungmin probably felt the same…

“You two need to talk,” Hyunjin says, caressing Jeongin’s hair.

“I don’t understand my own feelings… how can we talk like that?” Jeongin replies, looking at his friend.

“How do you feel about Seungmin?” Felix asks.

“He... “ Jeongin starts talking, taking a quick pause to sort out the words, and then, he continues, “Seungmin is my first. My first everything. My first owner, friend, brother. He gave me a family. My first and only family. He was the first to actually care for me, to make me feel happy and welcomed. He taught me how to play soccer and baseball, the meaning behind the flowers at mom’s floriculture. He showed me the sea. He makes me happy, and his hugs make me feel safe. He was the only person that I thought about when I was in that horrible place, the only person that comes to my mind after… after the nightmares, and…” Suddenly, there are more tears running down his face and Jeongin reaches for Hyunjin, hugging him again and saying, while sobbing inside his friend’s arms, “I really love him”.

***

Seungmin is quiet. They went to the bakery close to the rented house, to have breakfast together. Well, only he and Chris, since Jisung and Changbin had already eaten earlier. They find a table at the place with enough seats for all of them and start talking about their orders but Seungmin can’t actually talk or pay attention to his surroundings. It’s Changbin that makes his order and they all exchange worried looks before he talks to Seungmin.

“Seungmin… what happened?”

There’s silence and when Seungmin looks at Changbin, he can’t avoid the look on Chris and Jisung’s face.

“I-I don’t know”

It’s a lie. Well, kinda. Seungmin realised what happened the moment he saw Jeongin’s hands covering his mouth. They kissed.

He was dreaming about having Jeongin inside his arms and it felt so real… in the dream, they were hugging and Jeongin was close to him, they were smiling at each other, standing in the middle of the kitchen of their apartment back in the city. They were hugging and touching and he remembers that they ordered pizza and the delivery man arrived but he couldn’t let go of Jeongin, in the dream. He remembers leaning towards Jeongin too, reaching for his cheek gently cupping his face with one hand, connecting their lips and it was so, so real… 

That was when he woke up, suddenly feeling the hard surface of the ground beneath his body and his eyes met a scared Jeongin covering his own mouth. That was the moment Seungmin knew.

“He was so scared,” He says, head down between his hands.

Seungmin feels a comforting hand at his shoulders.

“You really don’t know?” Changbin asks and Seungmin closes his eyes, so tight that it hurts. He waits for a little longer, before answering in a whisper.

“I think I might have… kissed him…”

He waits for a reaction from the others, but there’s only silence. Seungmin lifts his head and looks at his friends, feeling confused.

“Just that?” Jisung asks, “I thought you guys were… like… that you two had already kissed before. You both live together, right? Plus, you two act like boyfriends and all, so…”

“What? No! Jeongin is not my… we not… that’s-”

“Oh, I see the problem,” Chris says, lifting his eyebrows and Seungmin feels panic crawling through his veins.

“What?” he asks and Changbin sighs by his side.

“Guys, this is not helping”

Seungmin feels even more lost and guilty about what happened. They thought that… Jeongin and he were… together? Like, boyfriends and all? And most important… Do they look like boyfriends?

“You think you kissed him… why?” Changbin gently asks, his voice indicating that he’s trying to be careful with his words.

“Yeah… we… We fell asleep together, at the bed and… usually we… we hug and… I dreamed… oh fuck, why are you two looking at me like that?!” Seungmin loses control of his temper when Chris and Jisung look at him obviously holding their laugh.

“You’re describing how we all fall asleep with our kittens, Seungmin!” Jisung says.

“And you truly think that you and Jeongin don’t act like boyfriends?” Chris asks and Changbin waves at them both to just keep quiet.

“you dreamed about what?” Changbin asks and Seungmin simply doesn't care anymore. He spills out everything without care about what they’ll think. When he finishes, there’s more silence. He decides that he definitely hates them all.

“Why do you guys always stay in silence?” he asks out of annoyance.

“Well… I think you might’ve kissed him” Changbin says, more to himself than Seungmin.

“He _kissed_ Jeongin. The poor fox ran through the entire house, he even woke up Felix and I” Chris says and Seungmin just sighs, letting his head fall into the table with a loud thud.

“Why did I do this…” He says and Jisung laughs softly.

“Because you like him?” The blue-haired little guy says and Seungmin snaps his head in his direction.

“What?!”

“Oh, shit, another problem” Chris throws his hands in the air and Changbin sighs.

“Wait, wait… You two act like boyfriends… sleep in the same bed… you dream about kissing him which leads you to _actually_ kiss him and now you’re doubting that you like him?” Jisung points out and Chris corrects him.

“No, Jisung, not _like_. It’s _love_. He’s doubting that he loves Jeongin”.

And with that, everything goes downhill with Changbin trying to calm down Seungmin while Chris and Jisung just keep talking and throwing facts at his face without much care. When Seungmin is finally a little more tranquil and all of them are already with their stomachs full of food, Changbin tries to talk to Seungmin again, this time, making Chris and Jisung stay quiet.

Changbin is more reasonable and Seungmin really appreciates that. He helps Seungmin to finally understand what’s happening inside his heart, all those confusing feelings and thoughts that took out his peace of mind during the last months finally making sense.

He loves Jeongin. Not as a brother or a friend, like he thought that he did, but in a romantic way. He fell in love with Jeongin since the first time that they saw each other, he only didn’t know about it back in that time.

There was only one thing to do, now.

“I should talk to him,” he says and all of them agree.

“I think that you’ll not have any complications, but you know… if you need support after talking to Jeongin, we can hear you” Changbin says, while throwing a comforting arm around Seungmin’s shoulders.

“ _You_ can talk and they only do the listening, please,” Seungmin says, pointing at Chris and Jisung who just laugh at that.

***

The sun goes down in the sky again, the orange light painting the houses and shops at the street, the sand at the beach and casting shadows at corners and hidden places. It’s a beautiful sunset and really peaceful, the beach already emptying from the families that spent the day having fun.

Jeongin and Seungmin are sitting by the beach, close to the crashing waves, the water a few centimetres away from them. There’s a towel beneath them and Jeongin is fidgeting with one of its ends, in silence while waiting for Seungmin to talk.

When Chris, Jisung, Changbin and Seungmin finally arrived at the house, Jeongin had fallen asleep while hugging Hyunjin, at the back of the house. They were laying in one of the couches, Hyunjin softly caressing Jeongin’s hair when Changbin called for him. It was late in the afternoon and the first day of their trip together was reaching its end.

Hyunjin woke up Jeongin and all of them ate something together, nothing big, only some fruits and sandwiches, finishing with the food that Minho bought that morning. Jeongin avoided the look on Sengmin’s face, sitting far away from him at the table, staying in silence during the whole time. After their dinner, all of their friends exchanged looks and went to their respective bedrooms, leaving Seungmin and Jeongin alone.

It was time. Time for them to talk.

“I’m sorry” Seungmin starts, looking at the sea before them. Jeongin feels an involuntary shiver running through his body, the tears already threatening to drop at the sand beneath them. He knew it. There was no way Seungmin loved him back the way he loved him, it was… impossible. Seungmin was kind and understanding, only that. It was not a romantical love, it was only family love… and Jeongin… he shouldn’t never-

“I love you, and I’m sorry for not being sincere with you. After what happened… After you were taken away from me, I lost all my peace, my world… I thought it was because you were always there, like a brother, but… Since you came back, I… I started to have some feelings, things that I never felt before, towards you” Seungmin says and Jeongin can’t actually understand what he’s hearing. Only when Seungmin turns to him and takes both of his hands, his cold fingers gently caressing Jeongin’s, is that the fox knows: Seungmin loves him, in the same way that he loves Seungmin. He looks at Jeongin’s eyes and lets out a soft sigh before continuing, this time, the worry reflecting in his expression, “I love you, Jeongin, and I’m sorry that I wasn’t sincere, but… I can’t feel sorry for… for kissing you earlier, so… please, don’t hate me”

Jeongin feels that the time has stopped. The world has stopped. And he just smiles while denying - but this time, the denial has a happy meaning, even if it sounds too weird.

“No, don’t be sorry… for… for both of it... “ Jeongin’s voice is almost a whisper. Seungmin squeezes his hands, making him look back at his face. The fox smiles again and moves close to Seungmin, “I love you too. You’re my world too, Seungmin, since the first day that we met, and… You’re more than family to me”.

With everything clarified, Seungmin can’t help but feel happiness overflowing from his heart and he reaches for Jeongin, hugging him so tight that he’s sure that Jeongin can’t breathe properly.

But Jeongin can actually breathe, and really well, feeling Seungmin’s scent mixing with the sea, their hearts beating too close to each other, hands around their waists and tears of happiness landing at Seungmin’s shoulder.

“I was so scared… that… that what I was feeling was wrong… and that you wouldn’t like it” He says, burying his face by Seungmin’s neck.

“No, Innie… I would never think that! I should’ve been more sincere, with myself and you…”

They stay inside each other’s arms for quite some time until Seungmin moves a little, just enough to look at Jeongin’s face again. He smiles when he sees the tears of joy and the blush that spreads through the fox’s cheeks.

“Can I do it? Again?” He asks and Jeongin doesn’t understand, his head tilting to one side while Seungmin cups his face with one hand.

“What?”

“Kiss you… I don’t think that we did it properly this morning”

Seungmin thinks that the blushing at Jeongin’s cheeks is so lovely and it feels really good against his own skin, warm and fuzzy while they kiss again, but this time, for real.

Their lips move at a slow pace, nice and comfortable, both of them still hesitant, not sure about what the other enjoys. Well, they couldn’t actually know for sure, since Jeongin had never kissed someone before and Seungmin… It was a long time since he had kissed someone. They’ll need a lot of practice.

***

The second day of their trip starts with all of them waking up early, getting ready to spend the whole day by the beach. They plan to have fun during the day, relaxing and spending some time together and preparing a nice barbecue for dinner, with some fireworks and a small bonfire at the sand to roast some marshmallows.

While Minho and Felix prepare some snacks and sandwiches to eat during the day, Chris, Changbin, Seungmin and Jeongin pick all the beach stuff for them, chairs, parasols and mats. Hyunjin and Jisung try to help with what’s necessary and when their spot at the beach is well secured a few meters away from their rented house, they all are back inside to get ready for a nice day.

“I want cookies,” Chris says while hugging Felix from behind, at the kitchen. All their friends are around them but that doesn’t bother Chris at all, he’s only shy about things that they do inside their bedroom, finding no difficulty in showing off some affection in public. Felix just smiles at him, feeling Chris’ scent, the notes of sea salt more intense than usual, probably because of the time Chris spent outside by the beach sorting things out. He makes sure to start preparing the cookies, eager to make Chris happy.

“Ew, stop you two” Hyunjin complains while sitting at the counter, scrunching his nose at his friends.

“What? You practically walk glued to Changbin and we never say anything” Felix comments and Hyunjin just sticks his tongue out for him as an answer.

Changbin himself, who was on the second floor, appears at the kitchen, calling for Hyunjin.

“Come Jinnie, we need to put the ointment on your scar before you go out in the sun,” he says and waves at the kitten, who jumps out of his seat, hugging Changbin while both Felix and Chris let out an “ew” at the same time.

Minho, still in the kitchen, grins while listening to Changbin complaining about how Hyunjin was hugging him too much, the couple going upstairs while talking to each other. From the kitchen, they can see Seungmin and Jeongin already waiting for them, both ready for the beach with sunscreen on and light clothes, just sitting close to each other at the couch and having a nice conversation in private.

“Ji, baby! Come on, are you ready?” Minho calls from the kitchen. He was ready too, wearing a light t-shirt and shorts, with sunscreen already put on and sunglasses at the top of his head. Only Jisung needed to get ready.

Suddenly, a blueberry head peeks through the kitchen’s entrance and Jisung’s wide eyes search for Minho.

“Min! help! I can’t put sunscreen on my back!”

Minho looks at his owner and just sighs.

“You can go, Chris and I can take care of the rest,” Felix tells him with a nice smile on his face, so Minho thanks both of them and just runs into Jisung's rescue.

The day goes by pretty smoothly, with them having fun and eating good food, relaxing by the beach. Chris and Jisung teach Felix and Hyunjin how to swim while Jeongin and Seungmin tease them. Minho chooses to stay by the beach chairs under the safety of the shadows of the parasols, reading a nice book and taking care of a happy Jisung that kept swimming with Chris and the others. Changbin entered the water a few times, holding Hyunjin close and helping the kitten to swim but he kept Minho company too, holding a comfortable conversation with the cat while not taking his eyes out of Jinnie the whole time.

Eventually, they got tired of swimming and gathered together under the shadows to have lunch. Minho and Felix prepared some sandwiches and a big fruit salad, as well as Chris’ cookies, which made the said man really happy, all smiles and hugs towards Felix. They drink cold beers and juice, and the atmosphere among them is happy and relaxed, something that all of them couldn’t enjoy for many months.

With a new couple among them, the teasing never stops and they all joke with Seungmin, annoying him and making Jeongin blush really hard, which is really cute, Minho thinks. Hyunjin doesn’t let go of Changbin and Felix just occupies himself doing whatever Chris wants, while Minho silently gestures for Jisung to eat well.

Looking back in time, more than a year back, Minho would never think that he would have such good friends by his side. He planned a lonely life, but Jisung came like the sun casting the shadows away from his heart. With Jisung, Minho felt truly loved for the first time, finally happy about his simple life by his owner’s side. After Jisung, Chris appeared and the kitten felt truly grateful for him, he was such a strong and caring friend for Jisung that Minho couldn’t help but like Chris, who always did his best alongside his lover, at work. Then, suddenly, there was Felix, Chris’ cute kitten, and Minho could never guess how Felix would turn into such a good friend, a fellow kitten that he learned to love and care for. Through Jisung and Chris’ work came Changbin and his sweetness, the calm among Chris and Jisung storm, the perfect balance between them. With time, Minho could notice how Changbin was lonely too, like Minho himself was before, and felt really happy when he introduced Hyunjin to the group, a cute tall kitten with endless gentlenesses just like Changbin.

Then, all the struggles came, and their hard time started. It was not because Hyunjin and his past, but because all of them cared for each other, loved each other and wanted the best for each other. Minho saw their friendship getting tested, their bond passing through fire and getting stronger each day. Minho saw how Jisung cared for his friends and how far Chris would go to protect the people that he loved. The kitten saw a side of Changbin that he never thought could exist, a dependent and lost side and did his best to help his friend. He saw how strong Hyunjin really is. Hyunjin had all the excuses, all the reasons to be violent and aggressive, to always have pity for himself, but he never chose that path - Hyunjin chose to be gentle, strong and caring, always loving towards his friends, completely opposite of what was done to him.

And after these hard times, came Jeongin and Seungmin, two little brothers that Minho loved since the first time he met them. Jeongin was so strong and positive, staying by Hyunjin’s side during those rough days. Seungmin was still silent around them but Minho could see through his silence and he’s sure that, when he finally feels comfortable around them, Seungmin will change to a bright and funnier person.

Minho is so grateful for having accepted Jisung’s love, if it wasn't for Jisung, he would never have met such kind people, nor learned so many important lessons.

“Ji, come here,” Minho says and Jisung looks up to him from where he’s sitting at one of the colourful mats above the sand. Jisung bites his sandwich and happily bounces into Minho’s direction, sitting close to the kitten. All their friends are talking, having a conversation about trivial things, so none of them actually notices when Minho pulls Jisung close to a loving kiss.

The kitten can feel Jisung blushing against his skin and smiles above Jisung’s lips.

“Thank you, Ji” Minho says and the look on Jisung’s eyes is puzzled, he doesn’t quite understand what just happened.

“For what, Min?”

Minho smiles wider at that.

“For choosing me,” Minho says and there’s a few seconds of silence between them before Jisung finally understands the meaning behind Minho’s words. When he does, his eyes suddenly fill up with shining tears and he can’t find the right thing to say besides,

“I love you, Min,” He leans towards Minho one more time, only to kiss him quickly, a shy peck at the lips, and Minho loves that.

When they part from each other their friends are staring at them and suddenly everyone bursts with comments about their sudden public gesture of affection, which causes Minho to giggle while he tries to comfort Jisung that can’t stop blushing and rambling excuses.

At some point in the afternoon, the group splits and each couple takes a few hours to spend some alone time.

“Why did you do that?” Jisung asks, holding hands with Minho while walking through the beach, close to the water. The sunlight is not that strong anymore, reaching for their skin more gently than earlier.

“Because I felt like,” Minho says while smiling and Jisung just nods. Minho always has something in his mind, always moving with unsaid meaning, so Jisung just accepts what he says for now because, eventually, Jisung knows that Minho will explain it to him.

They walk in silence for some time until Minho decides to stop to observe the sea and the sun that’s slowly starting to set in the sky. Jisung just stays by his side, their hands still connected.

Minho’s hands are warm against Jisung’s, his lips were warm against his lips, and his skin is glowing today. Jisung can’t take his eyes out of Minho, absorbing the way the kitten looks so beautiful while watching the waves crashing close to their feet.

“Ji, you’re staring,” Minho says with a tiny smile at his lips.

“You’re beautiful. And you didn’t stop smiling the whole day” Jisung says while approaching Minho, wrapping one arm around the kitten’s small back. He places his chin at Minho’s shoulder and keeps his eyes glued to Minho’s face.

The kitten stays in silence for some time, still smiling. Jisung can feel the brown tail reaching for his small back as well, curling around his body with gentleness. Soon, they’re hugging each other, Jisung burying his face at Minho’s neck, a peaceful feeling surrounding them.

“If it wasn't because of you… and your persistence… I would have never met them.” And there it is, Minho’s explanation. Jisung smiles above his skin and leaves a tender kiss at Minho’s neck.

“I have loved you since the first time that I saw you. Even if it was through a picture,” he says and Minho giggles at that, holding him close while nuzzling at Jisung’s blue hair. Jisung is sure that he probably smells like the sea and sunscreen, his vanilla scent is probably almost nonexistent now.

“You smell so good, Ji” Minho’s voice is muffled by Jisung’s hair and he laughs at the comment. They’re together for quite some time now, but it still surprises Jisung every time this happens, it’s almost like Minho can read his mind.

“How do I smell?” he playfully moves his head close to Minho and the kitten laughs.

“It’s different. It’s like you just got out of the shower and went to lay down under the sun”

They both laugh at that. Jisung remembers the first weeks when they started to live together, Minho wouldn’t stop rambling about his scent, telling Jisung that his scent was the best thing that he ever smelled.

_Vanilla and soap._

Minho described his scent as home, something that brings him comfort and it’s something that Jisung is proud of. It may sound strange for others that Jisung feels proud of how he smells but he can’t help it. He can make Minho feel at peace with his scent, so he’s proud of his vanilla and soap scent.

“We can have another trip after this one, just the two of us,” Jisung says and Minho denies.

“No. I want to stay at home with you.”

“But… you stay inside the apartment too much. You won’t be tired of that?”

“No,” Minho denies again, “I want to stay home with you, Ji. We can go out on dates if you like to, but I prefer to stay with you at bed”

Jisung moves in silence, turning to face Minho and their eyes finally meet. The sun is starting to go down in the sky, but the sunset hasn't started yet. Jisung takes a good look at Minho’s features, trailing his delicate face with his eyes and then, he just nods. He knows that Minho actually doesn’t care much about doing different things and travelling, going out on dates and everything. Since the beginning, Minho was very clear about the fact that he was a simple cat, with simple needs and not picky at all, so Jisung just nods at his kitten, accepting his wishes.

“Okay then… but you need to tell me if you want to do something. I want you to have fun too” and suddenly, Jisung can see the change in Minho's eyes, a sparkle traveling those two honey orbits changing his look from soft to naughty in just one second. He suddenly feels butterflies inside his chest and his ears burn, knowing very well what he’s about to hear.

“Oh, baby, I’ll do a lot of _somethings_ with you”

“Minho!” he says while parting from Minho’s arms and blushing hard. When all that Minho does is throw a shameless grin and wink at him, Jisung starts walking into the rented house direction, leaving Minho behind, trying not to combust in the middle of the beach.

“You said you want me to have fun, baby,” Minho says, reaching for one of Jisung’s hands.

“Don’t call me like that!” Jisung can’t help but blush at the pet name. He oftens calls Jisung baby but is always out of affection, however, right now, Jisung knows that Minho is trying to tease him.

“But you’re my baby, Ji” Minho whispers at Jisung’s ears and he just runs, getting out of Minho’s reach, who laughs at his reaction.

When Jisung passes running through Changbin and Hyunjin sitting at their beach chairs, all red and breathless, they only laugh at the scene waving at Minho that walks right behind Jisung, giggling and wiggling his tail in amusement.

“What happened?” Hyunjin asks and Minho waves at him with a big smile on his face.

“I’m just teasing him” the kitten follows Jisung, calling for him with a sweet voice while disappearing inside the house.

Hyunjin laughs at his friends while drinking his orange juice, observing how Changbin smiles widely by his side, as well. It’s a nice feeling of safety and happiness, all fuzzy and warm, something that Hyunjin really enjoys, something that he used to think that he didn’t deserve, in the past. Now, the kitten just welcomes it, accepting what it’s given to him and mostly feeling contentment for what he has, for what Changbin does for him, tool.

“You’re happy,” Hyunjin says, reaching for one of Changbin’s hands and intertwining their fingers. Changbin’s attention is on him now and he squeezes his fingers a little before answering.

“Yes” it’s short and almost a whisper, but Hyunjin can feel Changbin’s sincerity. He’s relieved to see his lover finally relaxing after so many weeks of sleepless hours of work and constant worry about Hyunjin’s health.

He moves his beach chair closer to Changbin’s, just enough to rest his head at his shoulder. Their eyes are glued to the sea, watching the sun setting and casting his fading light everywhere, the sound of the waves echoing around them.

“I liked the hotel,” Hyunjin says, eyes glued to the waves, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Changbin stays in silence for some time, just taking in the moment, letting it sink while feeling Hyunjin close to his body.

Changbin showed him some pictures of the hotel that he chose to stay after this trip ends, calling to book a room right after Hyunjin agreed with his choice. They’ll stay by the beach for one more week and then go back to the city, to spend one more week together before Changbin starts working again. Since the producers only got fifteen days of rest, they wanted to enjoy it as much as possible before going back to their normal routine.

“It’s not that big, but…”

“It’s perfect,” Hyunjin says, turning to leave a quick peck at Changbin’s cheek, that just smiles at the gesture.

Changbin’s financial life was well balanced but still, with Hyunjin’s hospitalization, he needed to spend a couple of months out of work, which was not that good. With his job as a producer, the company provides medical insurance for him and his dependents, so Changbin didn’t have to spend with remedies and treatments, but his source of income was frozen because he didn’t go to work at all. However, they didn’t went through rough times, Changbin was always well planned and prepared with emergencial savings and stuff, so it wasn’t so difficult for him to pay bills and some extra things that Hyunjin needed during his recovering time. Yet, things got a little short and they couldn’t spent as much as they used to.

So, the fact that Changbin was able to book a room at a hotel for their vacation was a little surprising for Hyunjin. He was fine with everything, and the hotel looked perfect for him, so he happily agreed with Changbin’s choice. What Hyunjin truly wants is to spend some quality time with Changbin and so romantic stuff doesn’t matter if it’s inside a huge suite at a hotel or a nice and cosy little room at some pension. He just wants Changbin by his side while they both experience new things and discover everything that it’s out there to be discovered.

“You’re easy to please,” Changbin says, turning to Hyunjin to kiss the tip of his nose. Their faces are too close to each other, Changbin can feel the warm breath of Hyunjin above his lips, and he unconsciously smiles wider, looking at those plumb and pink lips, so pretty...

“No, I’m not,” Hyunjin says and he connects their lips, just a soft kiss, “I’m greedy, Binnie”.

“Why?”

“Because I want it all… I want to feel and experiment everything that I can and I want you by my side while I do this… I want all the happiness and the love in the world and I want to give it to you… I want everything and I want _you_. I’m greedy”

Changbin doesn’t answer, he just pulls Hyunjin close to him and kisses him with all his passion. It’s slow and careful but is full of tongue and bites and deepness, hot and wet.

When Hyunjin returned home, Changbin noticed that he was a little different. Changbin was waiting for a broken Hyunjin, for his kitten to cry and take more time to recover himself, but the Hyunjin that came back home wasn’t like that: he was stronger than before. Yes, he was still hurt and had to take some time to heal his body and his fears that haunted his dreams at night, but Hyunjin returned definitely stronger than before.

The kitten never demonstrated to be ashamed of his scars, both physical and emotional ones, he didn’t hide the fact that he was sad and affected by those terrible days, but Hyunjin didn’t hide his wants as well. He came back more intense than before, more demanding, more vocal about his needs and feelings. It was like he didn’t have time to waste, like every day was his last day alive, like Changbin would disappear the next day and Hyunjin needed to live intensely by his side, live every moment like it was the last one that they were together.

Changbin was surprised at first by that, but he got used to this new side of his kitten and tried to adjust to them. Hyunjin started to do unexpecting things for him, to say deeper things like that and share more about his feelings, and every time Hyunjin does that, it’s like something ignites inside Changbin, like gasoline exploding, like a spark inside the darkness. He can’t control himself.

“Binnie… Bi-”

Changbin pulls him closer and closer until Hyunjin is almost sitting on his lap.

“Hmm,” Changbin says with close eyes, his fingers digging at Hyunjin’s hips.

“We’re on the beach… public…” Hyunjin says between kisses and suddenly Changbin is aware that they’re not the only ones in the world, that there’s actually other people at the beach, walking pass through them, that the time hasn’t stopped and they’re currently on a public space.

“Fuc-”

“Making out in public, hm?” Chris’ playful voice echoes close to them and Changbin tries to come back to reality, to their present situation. Hyunjin is almost straddling him and both of their faces are red, lips swollen and ears pink.

“Fuck you” Changbin swears and Hyunjin giggles beside him, with Felix quietly smiling at them.

The couple just returned from a brief walk on the beach and Changbin can notice that they probably did a lot of things but walk wasn’t one of them.

“I think it’s time for us to collect the things, right? It’s getting dark” Hyunjin says while smiling at Changbin.

Jeongin and Seungmin were sitting by the couch at the back of the house, talking in private while observing the sea as well, and Hyunjin calls them to help collect the beach chairs, mats and parasols, to clean them up for the next day. Since they’re six, they do a quick job and soon all their beach chairs and other things are sorted out in one corner of the back porch.

The sun is already setting and the moon is making its appearance as well as some early stars in the sky.

While they walk inside to shower and prepare the dinner, Hyunjin takes Changbin by his hand and stops, staying behind at the open space at the back of the house. It’s only he and Changbin and Hyunjin just pull his owner closer, hugging him tight while feeling the scent of roses and sand on Changbin’s skin.

“I love you so much,” Hyunjin says and Changbin just holds him tighter. There it is, the unpredictable Jinnie again, the unexpected gestures that Changbin is still trying to get used to. He just smiles, kissing Hyunjin at his jawline.

“I love you too, Jinnie”

***

The following days are bright, with all of them having fun and relaxing together. They cook barbecue almost every night, watch movies until late, share deep and fun conversations, play some games, swim until they’re too tired to even move and sleep as much as they want. They take a day out to visit some typical tourist places from the small town where they’re spending the entire trip, taking photos and eating lunch at a nice seafood restaurant, the best of the town - according to Google.

On their last night, they decide to visit the center of the small town to have dinner out, walk through the streets and visit the small night street market that’s one of the most popular places at night for tourists to go. It’s actually a really peaceful small town and full of typical places to look at and have fun.

The streets are really nice at night, with a few picturesque pizzerias, souvenir shops and cosy bars all around the centre. They decide to stop by one of the pizzerias and the dinner goes by filled with nice and fun moments, laughs and smiles.

At some point, Felix just stops talking and watches his friends around the table, chatting.

Minho is all smiles and fondness and he’s _glowing_ with that big smile that is not often seen, the one that turns his eyes on two crescent moons and makes his eyes sparkle with joy while he lets out a high pitched laugh, watching a tipsy Jisung that drank red wine a little too much making jokes while everyone watches him and cracks in laughter after he finishes it. Seungmin has one arm around Jeongin’s shoulders, a loving smile on his face, watching the fox laughing at Jisung’s jokes. Hyunjin is laughing brightly and almost falling from his chair, reaching for Changbin that tries to hold as much as possible his laugh, failing miserably in the end. Chris is by his side, all dimples and closed eyes while laughing, his curly hair falling on his eyes making him look cuter than he already is.

And suddenly, Felix can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the happiness that he’s feeling. They’re finally together, having fun, relaxing and being safe.

_Safe._

The kitten quickly excuses himself to go to the bathroom, tears falling from his eyes. He reaches the room and takes a look at his reflection at the mirror.

Pink pastel hair more curly because of the water from the sea, his freckles more evident because of the sun, and he can notice the happiness in his own sparkly eyes, the way it shines at the dim lighting at the toilet.

Soon, Chris is right behind him, looking at his face with a worried look in his eyes.

“Are you okay? What happened?” He asks and Felix just hugs him, burying his face by Chris’ neck.

The kitten feels his heart beating like crazy inside his chest, his breathing becoming heavy while he tries to calm down. They stay in silence for some time until Chris moves a little, just to face Felix and caress his freckled face.

“You’re worrying me, Lix” and Felix is denying at that, trying to clear his throat to answer, 

“It’s okay, I’m fine… it’s just…” he makes a little pause and Chris waits patiently for him. He’s always like that, patient, peaceful, loving… “I’m so happy, so, _so happy…_ ” Felix knows that he’s feeling more than happy, but right now, the only word that can describe his feelings is happiness.

Chris just smiles at him, all softness and love. With one hand, he caresses Felix’s cheeks and leaves a tender kiss at the tip of Felix’s little nose.

“You deserve happiness, Felix” Chris says in the most loving way, caressing Felix and holding him inside his arms.

“I love you so much and I love them so much as well… I don’t know what happened, it’s just… If it wasn't for you… I would never have met them and… Chris, I-”

“Lixie, what-” it’s Hyunjin’s voice and he’s at the toilet looking for them and suddenly Felix jumps at him, crying while thanking him again for saving his life months ago. The gesture is so sudden that Hyunjin looks confused for a few seconds, but soon the taller kitten is crying with him, hugging Felix as tight as he can.

Chris just watches them in silence, feeling emotional as well. Meanwhile, their friends show up one by one, the hybrids first and after the owners. The happy evening turns into an emotional crying and hugging mess, and they end up being told to leave the toilet because they’re crowding the space and more clients need to make use of it.

While they walk around the small town, holding a comfortable conversation after everyone calmed down, Felix can’t help but remember that night, that rainy night when he snickered inside Chris’ apartment.

_“... ‘Please, stay with me,’ Chris asks softly._

__

_‘You want me to stay?’ He asks, almost a whisper close to Chris’s lips which is still holding him tightly._

__

____

_‘Yes’_

____

_____ _

_‘Why?’_

_____ _

______ _ _

______ _ _

_‘I’m always alone. I don’t have many friends and my work takes too much from me, so I’m always by myself… You are a good kitten, I know it, and I liked you…’ ”_

__

_____ _

__

“Chris” Felix stops walking, holding Chris’ hand and pulling him close. Their friends keep walking ahead of them, and Felix can’t help but notice Minho’s smile towards them, when he looks behind to check on them.

__

_____ _

__

“Yes, Lix?” Chris says, getting close to him.

__

_____ _

__

“Thank you for asking me to stay, that night” Felix says, feeling his cheeks blushing. Chris giggles and cups one of his cheeks with one warm hand and when he speaks, Felix is sure that he can hear the rain in the distance like that night, when they met for the first time.

__

_____ _

__

__

_____ _

__

“I already said that, but no, love, it’s me that should say thank you…Thank you for invading my house that night, for staying and for making me the happiest man alive” Chris says and just like that night, he presses a soft kiss into Felix’s forehead.

__

_____ _

__

And there’s no more broken heart inside Felix’s chest because he’s full of happiness and love. He has Chris by his side now, and his friends, he has a true family that turns his life brighter than it could ever be.

__

_____ _

__

**Author's Note:**

> First, I want to thank y'all for reading this series! Y'all showed so much love and support, I'll never be able to express how grateful I am.
> 
> Second, I hope you guys enjoyed this last adventure. Things happened and I wasn't able to write as fast as the beginning of the year, but I hope that this long and soft end can make you happy and make it up for the waiting.
> 
> I tried to write a more general view of the characters, their feelings, friendship and love. There's the beginning of Seungin as well, their cute realization about the feelings that they have for each other. I wanted to include this, since they'll not have separeted works like the other couples. I hope you guys enjoyed it!
> 
> Third, and last, I'm planning on writing some stuff for all the couples as well, but it's going to be mostly short stories and stuff, not too long.
> 
> I enjoyed creating this world and I'm truly happy with the end!
> 
> Thank you once again, for all the love, the kudos, the comments! It makes me really happy and motivated.
> 
> Also, stay tuned, I'll release some stuff for Stray Kids, out of the hybrid world, new works and etcetera! So, if you like my writing, don't miss the future fanfics ♥
> 
> Byeeeeeeee! I love y'all! ♥


End file.
